Swimming hands out annual awards
SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University men's and women's swim teams held their annual end of year awards banquet recently as head coach Katie Cameron and assistant coaches Ross Lannan and Andrew DiGiacomo handed out awards to several individuals who helped lead the Bulldogs to a tremendous third season of Division I competition.
Women's Swim Major Awards
Rookie of the Year
Taylor DeBever '13 (Denver, Colo.)
A rookie who made a name for herself both in the NEC and on the regional stage, DeBever was a two-time conference swimmer of the week and All-NEC First-Team Selection this past season, set two individual school marks in the 200-free and the 500-free at the conference and ECAC meets, respectively.
Most Improved
Lisa Zanchi (North Reading, Mass.) & Kerry Timulty (Randolph, Mass.)
Zanchi and Timulty were both awarded most improved after piecing together their best seasons since arriving in Smithfield. Zanchi recorded season-best personal times in the 200-yard IM (2:23.35), the 100-yard butterfly (1:04.39), and in the 100-yard freestyle (57.02) at the conference meet. The junior went on to post a top time in the 200-yard breastroke (2:39.74) against Fairfield. Timulty recorded top times in the 50-yard freestyle (26.97) and in the 100-yard freestyle (58.70) at the NEC finals, after putting forth a solid showing against Vermont, where she registered a time of 2:07.41 in the 200-yard freestyle
High Point Scorer
Casey Ostrander '13 (Yarmouthport, Mass.)
Ostrander capped off a tremendous sophomore season this past winter setting five new school records as well as a new Northeast Conference record in the 100 backstroke at the conference championships in February. For the second year in a row, Ostrander was named the NEC Swimmer of the Year winning three events and part of a relay conference champion at the NEC meet, and would later win other title at the ECAC Championships in Pittsburgh.
Bulldog Award
Amy Howell '11 (Clifton Park, N.Y.)
An asset to the great success experienced by the women's swim team, Howell posted a strong senior campaign, producing a personal-best time in the 1650-yard freestyle in a conference meet against NEC perennial contender Sacred Heart.
Men's Swim Major Awards
Rookie of the Year
Cameron Hessler '13 (Southbury, Conn.)
Hessler shattered the 50- and 100-yard backstroke school record in his freshman campaing with times of 24.46 and 52.87, respectively. Broke both records at the 2011 ECAC Championships and
Most Improved
Danny Conlin '12 (Rosindale, Mass.)
After contributing in only a number of events during the 2009-10 season, Conlin bursted onto the scene in 2010-11 with strong performances highlighted by his 31st-place finish overall in the 200-yard freestyle competition at the Harold Anderson Invitational with a time of 2:10.36. He would go on to finish sixth in the 200-yard butterfly event against Stony Brook on Jan. 22 with a time of 2:44.12.
High Point Scorer
Nicholas Karadimas '13 (New Milford, Conn.)
A prominent swimmer for the Black and Gold this past season, Karadimas was the high-point scorer for Bryant, posting numerous top performances. Most notably, Karadimas set the school record in the 50-yard fly and 200-yard IM at the 2011 ECAC with times of 23.98 and 1:57.58, respectively.
Bulldog Award
Alex Kosenski '12 (Lavallette, N.J.)
A rising performer on the men's side, Kosenski set three individual school records in 2010-11 and was a member in four school relay lineups. Kosenski was a gold medalist at the 2011 ECAC Championships with a school record-time in the 100-yard freestyle.