A person attending a North Carolina A&T swimming meet will automatically find a facility full of future engineers, newspaper editors, elementary school teachers and current scholars swimming for the Aggies.

It is just the way 11-year head coach Shawn Hendrix wants it. The Aggies swim team is routinely blessed with an abundance of scholars on its roster. Those great grades are usually rewarded in May with the Athletics Directors Award recognizing the N.C. A&T sports program with the highest GPA.

For Hendrix’s swimming team, dispelling the notion that athletes can’t get it done in the classroom and the athletic arena, is as satisfying as a great season in the pool. In fact, swim times are not the only way Hendrix measures her team’s success.

“We have academic and athletic goals,’’ said Hendrix. “One of our academic goals is to reclaim the highest GPA in the department. We also want to maintain a team GPA of 3.55. I think the leaders I have on this team are going to help us achieve those goals. They demonstrate leadership not only in the pool, but academically and in attitude as well. They often go beyond my expectations.”

Those kind of academic standards may be lofty for most sports teams. One look at the list of academic accomplishments of the swimmers that comprise the Aggies roster makes those goals look realistic, however.

Senior Donielle Campbell is an integrated internet technologies major who is a frequent member of the Dean’s List. Fellow senior Aasiya Townsell is the editor-in-chief of the N.C. A&T Register, the university’s student newspaper. Junior Jewel Wright is an honor society member, and junior Czamille Wright is a Blount Chancellors Scholarship recipient.

Even the newcomers are in the act. Sophomore Jessica Davis, who is in her first year of competition as an Aggie swimmer, has her sights on being a pediatrician. Freshman Jasmine Gurlay is attending N.C. A&T on a Chancellor’s Scholarship.

“One of things I look at when recruiting a swimmer is their academics,’’ said Hendrix. “If they don’t have a strong academic foundation they can’t help me athletically because they’re not going to be eligible.”

One person who can’t help Hendrix academically or athletically is Gia Wright. Wright saw her superb career at N.C. A&T come to an end last season. With a limited amount of swimmers on the team last season, Wright was as durable an athlete as there was on campus. N.C. A&T’s Senior Female Athlete of the Year swam both relays, the 100 breaststroke, the 200 breaststroke and the 200 individual medley.

Wright isn’t completely gone from the program. She is serving as a volunteer coach for Hendrix, but her presence in the pool will be missed.

“Gia not being here gives people an opportunity to swim events that might be outside their comfort zone, but will ultimately increase their ability overall,’’ said Hendrix. “It will also improve their leadership qualities.”

Taking over most of Wright’s load will be junior Vinetae Wynn. Wynn was voted Team MVP by her peers a year ago. Her fastest time in the 50 free was 24.9. Wynn helped the Aggies win the HBCU Championship by finishing first in the 100-yard backstroke. Wynn also had an impressive showing against Radford last season as she recorded first place finishes in the 50 free, the 100-yard backstroke and was a part the victorious 200-yard medley relay.

“Vinetae is one of my strongest swimmers,’’ said Hendrix. “She is strong in the breaststrokes and backstrokes. The main thing she needs to work on is consistency.”

Hendrix senior leadership this season will come from Townsell and Campbell. Campbell is an effective sprinter for the Aggies. She finished first in the 50-yard backstroke twice last season. “Donielle is disciplined in doing the small things well,’’ said Hendrix. “That creates opportunities for her to be faster.”

Townsell is more of a mid-distance swimmer, while Gia’s littler sister Czamille Wright will handle the distance races. Hendrix cautions against getting too accustomed to seeing a particular swimmer in a particular event.

“At any given time, my swimmers will swim events that are not their specialty,’’ said Hendrix. “It depends on who you’re swimming against. The main thing we focus on is not the event, but dropping times for championships. It’s all about getting them physically ready for championships.”

The College Coastal Swimming Association Championships will be held Feb. 19-21 in Athens, Ga. The Aggies should be able to go into this season’s championships with more depth. Hendrix added seven more swimmers to her roster, which equals the amount of swimmers she had at the end of the 2007-08 season. Among her newcomers are Davis, Gurlay, Karla Chapman, Kishia McDonald, Charlisse Rivers, Ashley Suwandi and Carolyn Pratt.

And yes, they all bring something academically and athletically to the table.