Coleman Stewart, Paige Madden Named ACC Swimmers of the Year

paige-madden-megan-moroney-virginia-200-back-acc-championships

Paige Madden and Megan Moroney Photo Courtesy: Sarah D. Davis/theACC.com

Coleman Stewart of NC State and Virginia’s Paige Madden were named the ACC men’s and women’s swimmer of the year, respectively, in Friday’s list of postseason honorees.

Full list of honorees:

Men’s Swimmer of the Year: Coleman Stewart, NC State
Women’s Swimmer of the Year: Paige Madden, Virginia
Men’s Diver of the Year: James Brady, NC State
Women’s Diver of the Year: Molly Carlson, Florida State
Men’s Freshman of the Year: Jack Hoagland, Notre Dame
Women’s Freshman of the Year: Kate Douglass, Virginia
Men’s Swim Coach of the Year: Braden Holloway, NC State
Women’s Swim Coach of the Year: Todd DeSorbo, Virginia
Men’s Diving Coach of the Year: Randy Ableman, Miami
Women’s Diving Coach of the Year: John Proctor, Florida State

Madden led a parade of Virginia winners, with Kate Douglass claiming women’s freshman of the year and Todd DeSorbo earning women’s swim coach of the year.

Paige Madden won the 200, 500 and 1,650 freestyle at the ACC championships to earn ACC Swimmer of the Meet honors. She was ranked in the top eight in all three events on the NCAA psych sheets, before the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Madden is the first Cavalier to win ACC Swimmer of the Year since Lauren Purdue in 2011.

Kate Douglass burst onto the scene in her rookie season, winning ACC titles in the 200 individual medley (in an ACC record and the fourth-fastest time in NCAA history and quickest this season) and 100 butterfly as well as three relays. She was also third in the 200 breaststroke.

Todd DeSorbo led the Cavaliers to their first ACC title since 2008 and the 16th overall championship. Virginia set a record with 1,492.5 points, claiming six individual titles, four relay crowns and 36 All-ACC honors.

Coleman Stewart Photo Courtesy: NC State Athletics

Coleman Stewart won the Men’s ACC Swimmer of the Year award for the second straight season. The senior is just the fifth swimmer in ACC history and second NC State swimmer (Simonas Bilis, 2015 and 2016) to become a repeat winner of the award, which started in 1990. It’s the sixth straight season that a member of the Wolfpack won. He was the MVP of the ACC Championships for a second straight season, winning the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke for the third straight year each. He was also second in the 100 butterfly and won two relay golds (200 medley, 400 free).

Braden Holloway has become a perennial recipient of the men’s coach of the year award, capturing it for the sixth straight season. The Wolfpack have won six straight league championships, upping its total to 30 titles. This one came via seven total championships and 13 podium finishes.

James Brady was part of that effort on the board, the first diver to win the conference award. The senior was the ACC Championship’s most valuable diver after winning the three-meter springboard and finaling in the other two events. He advanced to three finals at the NCAA Zone B Championships.

Florida State ruled the women’s diving realm via Carlson and Proctor. Molly Carlson won the award as a freshman in 2017, then the first in school history. She’s a three-time ACC Championships MVP, this year winning gold in platform and three-meter and silver in one-meter. Carlson has won seven ACC medals. She’s the only diver in program history to medal in all three events in the same championships. She finished in the top five in all three events at the NCAA Zone B Championships.

John Proctor also won the Coach of the Year award in 2017. This year, he oversaw a 1-2 finish in the women’s three-meter, with Carlson and Ayla Bonniwell. Both divers qualified for the NCAA Championships.

The men’s freshman of the year award went to Notre Dame’s Jack Hoagland, who had a memorable first ACC Championships. He made the podium in all three events, taking silvers in the 400 IM and 1650 and third in the 500 free. Hoagland holds the program record in the IM. He is second in Fightin’ Irish history in the three longest freestyle events. He qualified for NCAAs in all three events.

Miami’s Randy Ableman earned the men’s diving coach of the year award for the fourth time in six years. In his 31st season at the helm, Ableman helped David Dinsmore win the ACC title in platform diving for the fourth straight year. The Hurricanes’ podium sweep was the first since 2000. All four Hurricanes divers qualified for NCAAs.

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