April 09, 2008
Texas A&M women?â„¢s swimming head coach Steve Bultman and junior swimmer Julia Wilkinson (Stratford, Ont.) were recognized as the best in the Big 12 Conference, according to a vote of the league?â„¢s coaches released Wednesday.
Bultman led the Aggies to their second straight Big 12 Championship team title with a 967-748 win over the host Texas Longhorns six weeks ago while three weeks later guiding the Aggies to a school record fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
?It?â„¢s definitely been an exciting year,? Bultman said. ?I?â„¢m just so proud of how the girls performed all year long. They came through under pressure and kept stepping up time after time with great performances.?
This marks the third time that Bultman has received Big 12 Coach of the Year honors and the second season in a row. He also received the award in 2002.
?It?â„¢s great to win an award that?â„¢s voted on by your peers,? Bultman said. ?It shows that other coaches have noticed how well our girls swam this year. We hope to continue that trend.?
Julia Wilkinson becomes the third A&M swimmer in three years to earn the Big 12 Swimmer of the Year award. Junior Codie Hansen (Arlington) won a share of the award as a freshman in 2006 while junior Kristen Heiss (Casper, Wyo.) won the award a season ago.
Wilkinson has been on an absolute tear over the last six weeks the likes of which the Texas A&M swimming program has never seen before. She won Big 12 Swimmer of the Meet honors on Feb. 1 after taking home the conference title in all-time Big 12 record times in the 100-yard backstroke, 100-yard freestyle, and 200-yard individual medley. She also swam on four Big 12 champion relay teams.
At the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio, Wilkinson finished no lower than fifth individually, taking third in the 200 free, fifth in the 200 IM and grabbed second in the closest 100 freestyle race in NCAA history.
Last weekend, Wilkinson achieved a lifelong dream of qualifying for the Olympics and did so in record-breaking fashion. She won the 100 back, 200 free, and 200 IM at the Canadian Olympic Trials, winning two of the three in national record times, and qualified to swim on all three of the Canadian Olympic relay teams.
?She?â„¢s had a sensational year, particularly in her last three meets,? Bultman said. ?From setting conference records at the Big 12 meet to going even faster and becoming our highest finisher ever at NCAA?â„¢s. For an encore, she goes to Canada and qualifies for her first Olympic team in six events and gets her first two national records. She?â„¢s had quite a year and I think even better things are to come from her in the future as well.?