FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2013
Thomas earns third straight Women’s Swimmer of the Year award
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference announced its 2012-13 Swimming & Diving yearly honors on Wednesday morning, headed by Southern Connecticut State University senior Amanda Thomas being named the conference’s Women’s Swimmer of the Year for the third consecutive year.
The yearly awards were decided by a vote of the conference’s head coaches. For a complete list of the major award winners, please see below.
Thomas wrapped up her spectacular career with the Owls by being named the NCAA Division II Championship Women’s Swimmer of the Meet for the second year in a row. It was there that she won the individual national title in the 200 IM for the third time in as many years, giving her four career NCAA titles.
In all, Thomas collected 18 All-American honors at So. Connecticut, while leading the Owls to four Northeast-10 Championships. The Oakville, Conn. native was also named the Women’s Most Valuable Swimmer at all four of those conference championship meets.
So. Connecticut sophomore Raymond Cswerko was named the 2013 Northeast-10 Men’s Swimmer of the Year after the University of Maryland transfer finished eighth in the 400 IM at the NCAA Championships. Cswerko also earned Men’s Most Valuable Swimmer honors at the Northeast-10 Championship.
Bentley University freshman Nicola Mancini (pictured, below) was unanimously named Women’s Diver of the Year after winning on both the one- and three-meter boards at the 2013 Northeast-10 Championship. She placed eighth on the one-meter at NCAAs to become the first women’s diving All-America in program history, and also placed 13th at nationals in the three-meter preliminaries.
Le Moyne College freshman Josh Byrne
took home Men’s Diver of the Year honors, as Byrne finished
17th on both the one- and three-meter boards at the NCAA
Championships. The rookie was also named Co-Men’s Diver of
the Meet at February’s Northeast-10 Championship.
Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year honors went to Le Moyne’s Tara O’Donnell and So. Connecticut’s Louis Geist. O’Donnell competed in four events at the NCAA Championships, receiving All-America honors in the women’s 200 backstroke, while Geist set a new Northeast-10 record in the men’s 500 freestyle at the 2013 Northeast-10 Championship.
So. Connecticut head coach Tim Quill was honored with both the Women’s and Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year Awards. Quill again helped lead the Owls to a sweep at the conference championships before sending Thomas and Cswerko to compete at the NCAA Championships.
Bentley’s Rick Danehy was named the Women’s Diving Coach of the Year, as the 18th-year coach sent four divers to the NCAA Championships in Mancini, sophomore Paige Wilde, and seniors Shelly D’Aleo and Abby Matthews.
Le Moyne’s Jack Gibbons earned Men’s Diving Coach of the Year honors after Byrne qualified on both the one- and three-meter boards at NCAAs.
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that are committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
2012-13
Northeast-10 Swimming & Diving Major
Awards
Women’s Swimmer of the Year – Amanda Thomas,
Southern Connecticut
Men’s Swimmer of the Year – Raymond Cswerko,
Southern Connecticut
Women’s Diver of the Year – Nicola Mancini*,
Bentley
Men’s Diver of the Year – Josh Byrne, Le
Moyne
Women’s Rookie of the Year – Tara
O’Donnell, Le Moyne
Men’s Rookie of the Year – Louis Geist,
Southern Connecticut
Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year – Tim
Quill, Southern Connecticut
Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year – Tim Quill,
Southern Connecticut
Women’s Diving Coach of the Year – Rick
Danehy, Bentley
Men’s Diving Coach of the Year – Jack
Gibbons, Le Moyne
* - Indicates unanimous winner
- #NE10 -
