Feb. 17, 2011
A trio of Texas A&M swimmers and divers were rewarded for strong recent performances by being named Big 12 Swimmer and Diver of the Week, the conference office announced on Thursday.
Earning the Big 12's weekly honors were swimmer Amini Fonua and diver Cam McLean from the men's team, and diver Janie Potvin from the women's team. It was the first weekly honor of their A&M careers for all three Aggies. The Aggies' regular season is finished and both teams will head into next week's Big 12 Championships in Austin on high notes.
Fonua, a junior from Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand, helped the Aggies open the State Farm Lone Star Showdown with Texas with a win in the 200-yard medley relay. Fonua contributed a 22.56 backstroke leg that gave the Aggies a lead they would not relinquish en route to a victory and a NCAA "B" cut time of 1:28.17. A few races later, Fonua also touched first in the 100 breaststroke with a "B" cut of 54.35.
McLean also shined against the Longhorns by teaming with fellow Aggie junior Grant Nel to sweep the top two spots in both dives against Texas. McLean, a junior from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, placed first on the one-meter board and was runner-up to Nel on the three-meter board. McLean, who missed the 2010 championship season due to a shoulder injury, looked completely healthy after contributing a pair of career-best scores - 407.48 in the 1m and 427.43 in the 3m.
A junior from Broussard, Quebec, Canada, Potvin went to her home country's Senior National Championships to earn her award. Potvin was the No. 8 high scorer at the Canadian Winter Senior National Championships in London, Ontario with 18 points. More importantly, Potvin's 301.95 score in the platform dive made her eligible to compete on Canada's National Team. Potvin posted a pair of sixth place finishes in the three-meter and platform dives.