USC’s Louise Hansson, Henry Fusaro; Cal’s Abbey Weitzeil Earn Pac-12 Conference Medal

by Dan D'Addona — Swimming World Managing Editor

11 June 2020, 01:22pm

The Pac-12 Conference announced its Tom Hansen Conference Medal award winners on Thursday. Two swimmers and one diver were among the list of recipients — USC’s Louise Hansson and Cal’s Abbey Weitzeil and USC diver Henry Fusaro.

Each year, the league awards Conference Medals to a male and female senior student-athlete at each participating institution who exhibits the greatest combination of scholarship, athletics and leadership. Awards were given to both women’s and men’s student-athletes starting in 1987.

USC Swimming and Diving received both male and female honors in the same season for the first time.

Hansson, already a 2021 Tokyo Olympics qualifier, graduated as a three-time NCAA Champion, 19-time All-American, 10-time Pac-12 winner and nine-time school-record holder. She was the first Pac-12 woman to win the 100-yard butterfly four times at the conference championships and the first to win the event in back-to-back seasons in over two decades.

Hansson, a two-time USC women’s swimming co-captain, graduated this spring as a Marks Scholar honoree with a degree in Business Administration. Hansson is USC’s first female swimmer to win a Pac-12 medal since Anika Apostalon in 2017. The last men’s swimmer or diver to win it was swimmer Cristian Quintero in 2015.

Fusaro graduated this spring with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Law, and Law, History and Culture with a minor in Business Law while carrying a 3.58. GPA. The 2020 Pac-12 Men’s Swimming and Diving Scholar Athlete of the Year, Fusaro finished his senior year as a two-time CSCAA Scholar-All-American, 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-District At-Large honoree, Pac-12 All-Academic honoree and USC Marks and Stevens Scholars recipient.

Fusaro, the men’s diving team captain this season, won the 1-meter springboard at the 2020 NCAA Zone E Diving Championship and finished third on men’s 3-meter with 404.30 at the 2020 Pac-12 Men’s Diving Championships. The 2018 Pac-12 3-meter champion and 2017 Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year also served as a volunteer for the annual Swim With Mike fundraiser at USC.

In 2009, the Pac-12 Conference Medal was re-named in honor of Tom Hansen, who retired in 2009 after serving for 26 years as Commissioner of the Pac-10.

Here is the Pac-12 Conference breakdown of the winners:

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Cal
Abbey Weitzeil, Women’s Swimming and Diving (Saugus, Calif.) — Public Health major and team captain … 2020 Honda Sports Award winner … 2019 Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year … 2019 NCAA 50-yard freestyle champion … American record holder in the 50 free (20.90), the first woman ever under 21 seconds … Two-time Olympic medalist … 2020 Pac-12 50 free champion (meet-record 21.03) … Finalist for the 2020 AAU Sullivan Award … Member of 2019 U.S. World Championships team … Member of six NCAA title-winning relays over her career.

USC
Henry Fusaro, Swimming & Diving (Scottsdale, Ariz.) – Majoring in Philosophy Politics and Law & Law History and Culture with a minor in Business Law … 2020 Pac-12 Men’s Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year … Two-time CSCAA Scholar-All-American … 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-District At-Large honoree … Pac-12 All-Academic honoree … USC Marks and Stevens Scholars recipient … Three-time finalist at the 2020 Pac-12 Championships … Won the 1-meter springboard at the NCAA Zone E Diving Championship … Earned CSCAA All-American first team honors … 2018 Pac-12 3-meter champion … 2017 Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year … Swim With Mike annual volunteer.

Louise Hansson, Swimming & Diving (Helsingborg, Sweden) – Business Administration major … USC Marks Scholar honoree … Swimming and Diving representative on Trojan Athletic Senate …Team captain … Three-time NCAA champion … 19-time All-American … 2020 Pac-12 Women’s Swimmer of the Year … 2020 Pac-12 Championship Swimmer of the Meet … 10-time Pac-12 winner … Nine-time school-record holder … 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifier … First Pac-12 woman to win the 100-yard butterfly four times and the first to win the event in back-to-back seasons in over two decades … Swim With Mike annual volunteer.

• More Pac-12 news

2019-20 Pac-12 Tom Hansen Conference Medal Winners

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