Chris Carter of William and Mary Named National Rising Assistant Coach of the Year

Photo Courtesy: Jim Agnew, William and Mary Athletics

William & Mary associate head swimming coach Chris Carter earned a significant honor Tuesday, as he was named the National Rising Assistant Coach of the Year by CollegeSwimming.com. The award honors assistant coaches towards the beginning of their careers, and was decided on this year by both a fan vote on Twitter and by voting from a juried panel.

Carter just finished his fourth year as an assistant at W&M, and was instrumental in helping the Tribe sweep the Colonial Athletic Association titles for the first time. The Tribe distance group took a major step forward, sweeping the miles and also taking the men’s 500 free and 400 IM. On the women’s side, freshman Maria Oceguera was the top swimmer throughout the season, and broke the freshman record in the mile at the mid-season Bucknell Invitational. She fell sick in the lead-up to the conference meet, however, but her classmate Morgan Smith stepped up in her absence and won CAA Rookie of the Year honors.

Smith’s week included top-five finishes in both the 500 free and the 400 IM, and she won the 1,650 free going away for W&M’s first championship in the mile since 1986. Smith set freshman records in the 500, 1,000, and 1,650 frees, and her winning time of 16:36.86 in the 1,650 broke the school record as well. On the men’s side, W&M swept the distance titles, with senior Jeremiah O’Donnell defending his 400 IM title, and first-time medalists in the 500 free (freshman Eric Grimes) and 1,650 free (sophomore Conrad Zamparello).

William and Mary contributed this report.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use