A&M's Wilkinson, Patrick Sweep Big 12 Swimmer, Diver of the Year Awards
Apr 07, 2010 | Women's Swimming and Diving
April 7, 2010
Texas A&M's Julia Wilkinson and Jaele Patrick gave the Big 12 Champion Aggies a clean sweep of the major Big 12 Conference Postseason Women's Swimming and Diving Awards, the conference office announced on Wednesday.
Wilkinson and Patrick played a key role in the Aggies' run to their third Big 12 title in four seasons and the team's sixth-place finish at the 2010 NCAA Championships. It was A&M's fourth straight top eight finish at the NCAA Championships, and the meet also produced the program's first two NCAA Champions in Wilkinson and fellow senior Alia Atkinson.
Also receiving postseason honors were Texas A&M head swimming coach Steve Bultman, who earned his fourth Swimming Coach of the Year, and first-year Aggie diving coach Jay Lerew, who was named Diving Coach of the Year.
For Wilkinson, a senior from Stratford, Ontario, Canada, it was the second Big 12 Swimmer of the Year award. Also the 2008 winner, Wilkinson was dominant in her return to competition in 2009-10 after missing the previous season because of shoulder surgery. After winning six Big 12 titles at the 2010 Championships to raise her career total to 19, Wilkinson continued her transcendent season at the NCAA Championships with the program's first NCAA individual crown in the 100 freestyle, a runner-up finish in the 200 IM and a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle.
Patrick, from Lilydale, Victoria, Australia, was dominant in her own right with a pair of wins at the Big 12 Championships. Patrick was named the Big 12 Diver of the Meet after sweeping the one- and three-meter springboards at conference. At the NCAA Championships, Patrick became the first Aggie diver to finish in the top three in two events with third place finishes on both springboard dives.
