College Aquatic Athlete Weekly Honors Roundup: Several Continue Reign As Best in Conferences

PHOENIX, Arizona, February 5. MANY collegiate swimming and diving teams are wrapping up dual meet competition and preparing for the conference championships. As such, many conferences have released their final conference athlete honors of the season this week.

American Athletic Conference
Female Athlete of the Week: Christine Pedersen, Connecticut
Pedersen took first place as an individual in four races in dual meets against Dartmouth and Colgate. The freshman captured wins in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke on both days, with a best time of 57.67 in the 100 and 2:05.49 in the 200.

Male Athlete of the Week: Caryle Blondell, Louisville
The sprinter from Trinidad and Tobago won the 50 free in 19.93 and the 100 free in 43.74 to post some of the fastest times nationwide last weekend during the dual meet against Indiana.

Atlantic 10
Male Athlete of the Week: Chris Inglis, Massachusetts
Swimming in his final home dual meet, Inglis won the 100 free (45.78) and 200 free (1:38.40) against Fordham.

Female Athlete of the Week: Michaela Butler, Massachusetts
Butler never lost a diving event in her final season, wrapping up dual meet competition with a sweep of the 1-meter and 3-meter events against Fordham.

Male Rookie of the Week: Matias Glenesk, La Salle
The freshman won the 1000 freestyle with a 9:24.89 during last weekend’s dual meet against Penn. He was also second in the 500 with a 4:38.63.

Female Rookie of the Week: Meriza Werenski, Massachusetts
Werenski picked up two wins in the dual meet against Fordham, taking the 200 breast (2:19.92) and 200 IM (2:09.09) as well as a second-place finish in the 200 free (1:52.42).

Atlantic Coast
Male Swimmer of the Week: Jonathan Boffa, North Carolina State
While helping the Wolfpack beat Virginia and North Carolina, Boffa won four individual events. He won the 100 and 200 freestyles in both meets.

Female Swimmer of the Week: Courtney Bartholomew, Virginia
Bartholomew, the top-ranked 100 backstroker in the nation so far this season, won both backstrokes against North Carolina State.

Male Diver of the Week: Nick McCrory, Duke
For the fifth time this season, McCrory is honored with the diver of the week accolade, tying a record he set last season. McCrory has been undefeated in diving events, and he continued it with amazing performances last weekend. He set a team record in 3-meter diving with 519 points and notched his highest score of the season on 1-meter with 478.43 points.

Female Diver of the Week: Erin Purdy, North Carolina
Purdy swept the boards in both dual meets against North Carolina State and Duke, qualifying for the NCAA zone diving championships.

Big 10
Male Swimmer of the Week: Dylan Bosch, Michigan
Bosch won both butterfly events in Michigan’s close wins against Ohio State.

Male Diver of the Week: Stephen Etienne, Ohio State
Etienne was one of the reasons the dual meet against Michigan was so close, winning the 1-meter and 3-meter events on Saturday. He also won both events the day before against West Virginia.

Male Freshman of the Week: Matt McHugh, Ohio State
McHugh won the 50 free against West Virginia in 20.62 and was first in the 100 back against Michigan with a 48.21.

Colonial Athletic Association
Male Swimmer of the Week: Kyle Lukens, Drexel
Lukens, the first Drexel swimmer to be given a conference honor this season, won two individual events in the dual meet against Lehigh. He posted a 52.04 in the 100 back and 50.61 in the 100 fly.

Female Swimmer of the Week: Kaitlin Burke, Towson
In her final college dual meet, Burke posted a solid time of 1:50.11 in the 200-yard free and following up that performance the next race by winning the 1000-yard free with a time of 10:03.64.

Male Diver of the Week: David Sanchez, Drexel
Sanchez showed improvement in both boards last weekend against Lehigh, posting a score of 263.40 on 1-meter and 316.58 on 3-meter to win both events.

Female Diver of the Week: Candace Young, Northeastern
Young finished her Huskies’ home career with a bang, capturing first-place honors on Senior Day versus Rhode Island in both the one- and three-meter dives with a score of 286.20 in the 3-meter and 277.05 in the 1-meter.

Conference USA
Female Swimmer of the Week: Rachel Moody, Rice
Moody won two individual events and swam on a winning Owl relay in a two-day, four-way dual meet against nationally-ranked LSU, C-USA foe Tulane and crosstown rival Houston. Moody set the Rice school record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:01.71 and earned top honors in the 200-yard breaststroke with a 2:15.27.

Female Diver of the Week: Catherine Johnson, North Texas
Johnson had a career day, sweeping the one- and three-meter diving events with personal-best marks against SMU on Friday. The senior blew away the competition in the three-meter dive with 299.47 points, and earned a first-place finish in the one-meter with a score of 263.32.

Horizon League
Male Swimmer of the Week: Clement Quilliec, Wright State
Quilliec finished first in his two individual events, winning the 200-individual medley in a time of 1:54.37 and the 100-breastroke with a time of 59.05 in the dual meet against Xavier.

Female Swimmer of the Week: Becky Yokosh, Milwaukee
In the dual meet against Green Bay, Yokosh broke her own pool record in the 100-backstroke with a winning time of 57.14 and placed third in the 50-freestyle with a time of 24.45. Yokosh also helped break the pool record in the 400-medley relay that finished with a time of 3:48.13.

Male Diver of the Week: K.J. Heger, Wisconsin-Milwaukee
The junior won the 1-meter with a score of 346.35 and 3-meter posting a score of 338.02. Against Big Ten-foe Northwestern, Heger finished first on the 1-meter board with a score of 316.20 and took second-place on the 3-meter board collecting a score of 337.20.

Female Diver of the Week: Tricia Grant, Oakland
Grant earned her seventh League accolade this year as she swept both diving events at IUPUI.

Mid-American
Male Swimmer of the Week: Mike Fisher, Eastern Michigan
The junior claimed the 100 breast in 56.72 and the 200 breast in 2:04.76 in close races at the dual meet against Miami University.

Female Swimmer of the Week: Victoria Griffin, Bowling Green
In two dual meets last weekend against Ohio and Marshall, Griffin won three individual events. She posted a 50.62 in the 100 free and 1:40.37 in the 200 free against Ohio, then won the 50 free against Marshall with a 23.82.

North Coast
Male Athlete of the Week: Max Levy, Denison
Levy set a school record in the 3-meter springboard event to lead the Big Red to a 159-93 win over Ohio Wesleyan. Levy tallied an 11-dive score of 576.15 to best the previous school record by eight points.

Female Athlete of the Week: Katie Kaestner, Kenyon
Against Ohio Wesleyan, she won the 50 free (24.32) and swam legs on the winning 400 medley relay (3:55.04) and 400 free relay (3:33.46). Against Wittenberg, Kaestner touched first in the 100 fly (59.93).

Pac 12
Male Swimmer of the Month: Kevin Cordes, Arizona
Cordes continued to be unbeaten in the breaststrokes in January, winning both races in dual meets against California, Stanford and Texas. It’s the sixth monthly accolade for Cordes in his three years at Arizona, a conference record.

Male Diver of the Month: Rafael Quintero, Arizona
Quintero won both diving events against California, a day after placing second in those events against Stanford. He closed out January with two top-three finishes against Texas.

President’s Athletic Conference
Male Athlete of the Week: Steven Brooks, Westminster College
In the Titans’ victory against Grove City, Brooks tied the pool record in the 100 back (51.28) and won the 200 medley relay. Brooks also won the 50 free (21.88) and was part of the winning 400 free relay (3:15.30) for the Titans. In Westminster’s win at Mount Union, Brooks claimed the 50 free (21.74) and the 200 back (1:56.35) and was a part of the winning 400 medley relay (3:36.40).

Female Athlete of the Week: Megan Bilko, Grove City
Bilko won the 1000 in a pool-record time of 10:30.68 and also won the 200 fly (2:08.99) and 500 (5:18.07) against Westminster. In Saturday’s win at Bethany, she provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 1650 (17:37.22).

Southeastern Conference
Male Swimmer of the Week: Brad Deborde, Florida
Deborde wrapped up his college dual meet career with wins in the 50 free (19.96) and 100 free (44.47) against Tennessee.

Female Swimmer of the Week: Lindsay Gendron, Tennessee
Gendron was a big part of helping Tennessee beat Florida in last Saturday’s dual meet. The senior won the 200 free (1:45.59), 500 free (4:44.63) and 100 fly (53.60). The win in the 100 fly came 10 minutes after the 500 free, and was a personal best.

Male Diver of the Week: Greg Ferrucci, Kentucky
Ferrucci posted his highest totals of the season last weekend against Cincinnati, scoring 398.25 points in 1-meter and 374.33 on 3-meter.

Female Diver of the Week: Ann-Perry Blank, Georgia
Blank set a Georgia poll record in winning the 1-meter springboard against Tennessee with 327.98 points.

Female Freshman of the Week: Kara Kopsco, LSU
Kopsco set two personal bests in the meet against Houston, Rice and Tulane. She won the 200 free in 1:49.01 and the 200 IM with a 2:00.38. She also posted a 4:23.51 in the 400 IM to win that event.

Summit League
Male Swimmer of the Week: Kyle Milberg, Denver
The senior helped Denver to a victory over Utah, touching the wall first in the 100 back (49.34), 200 back (1:48.60) and 100 fly (49.15).
Female Swimmer of the Week: Samantha Corea, Denver
The junior won the 100 back (55.89) and 100 fly (54.82) in the dual meet against Utah last weekend.

Male Diver of the Week: Connor Florand, South Dakota State
Florand won the 3-meter diving competition in the dual meet against North Dakota, scoring 312.08 points while also finishing second in the 1-meter event.

Female Diver of the Week: Olivia Olesiak, South Dakota State
Olesiak won the 3-meter event against North Dakota while placing third in the 1-meter springboard competition.

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