April 24, 2010
The Texas A&M swimming and diving teams celebrated their record-setting 2009-10 seasons at the annual team banquet on Saturday at the Bright Complex.
The 2009-10 season was filled with a variety of program firsts and record-setting performances, including the first two NCAA individual titles, a fourth-straight top eight NCAA finish for the women's team and a 15th straight top 25 finish for the men, and a combined 16 new school records (seven by the women and nine by the men).
The highlight of season was likely the pair of NCAA individual titles won by seniors Julia Wilkinson and Alia Atkinson in back-to-back races at the NCAA Women's Championships at Purdue University. Wilkinson won the 100-yard freestyle and then Atkinson followed with a victory in the 200 breaststroke.
The NCAA titles by Wilkinson and Atkinson helped the Aggie women to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, while the men tallied a 12th place finish at the national meet at Ohio State University. The two teams combined to take a whopping 29 competitors to the national championships (16 by the women and 13 by the men).
Earning the MVP awards by a vote of their teammates was Wilkinson for the women's team and junior Balazs Makany for the men's team. In addition to the NCAA crown, Wilkinson was second in the 200 IM and third in the 200 free at national championships. She also won six Big 12 crowns as a senior and earned Big 12 Swimmer of the Meet and Year honors. Makany was the Aggie men's high scorer at the Big 12 Championships and qualified for the NCAA Championships in three events and with four relays. Makany lowered his own record in the 200 free in 2010 and now owns school records in two races and with three relays.
Taking the Most Improved awards were sophomore Alyssa Conner on the women's side, and junior Jensen Ried and sophomore Grant Nel shared the award for the men. Conner set lifetime bests in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650 freestyles and the 400 IM while shaving a combined 38 seconds off her previous bests and achieving three NCAA “B” cuts. Ried, who has battled shoulder injuries throughout his A&M career, was healthy in 2009-10 and won the consolation final in the 500 free at the Big 12 Championships. Already an All-American, Nel took his diving to the next level in 2009-10 with a Big 12 Championship and sharing the Big 12 Diver of the Meet honors.
A pair of divers swept the Heart award with sophomore Henry Stevens take the men's award. Potvin was instrumental in the Aggies' Big 12 Championship run with a win in the platform dive and runner-up finishes on the one- and three-meter boards. Stevens, who was also a team captain, contributed points on all three boards at conference and qualifed for the Zone D Championships.
The Iron Woman award was earned by junior Hannah Kinder, who was the Aggies' No. 3 entry in the 200 and 500 frees and earned NCAA “B” cuts in both races.
The men's Heye Memorial award was earned by sophomore transfer John Ariens. The award is given annually to a non-scholarship swimmer or diver who came to A&M without a scholarship but proved himself with his work ethic, performance and teamwork. The Award is named for Trey Heye, who tragically passed away at age seven in 2000. The eldest son of Aggie graduates Paul '87 and Mary Jo '88 Heye of Little Rock, Ark., Trey was a talented swimmer who dreamed of swimming for the Aggies. In his first season at A&M after transferring from Hawaii, Ariens achieved NCAA “B” cuts in the 100 and 200 backstroke and ranked in the top three on the team in both races.
The Aggies also announced next season's team captains. The 2010-11 team captains for the women's team will be seniors Jaele Patrick, Hannah Kinder and Maria Sommer, while the men's captains will be seniors Balazs Makany, Bryan Snowden and Jensen Ried and junior Grant Nel.