Four Aggies Honored by SwimSwam
Dec 30, 2020 | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
Four Aggies were recognized by SwimSwam in the outlet's annual end of year Swammy Awards. Junior Shaine Casas was named NCAA Male Swimmer of the Year, while post grads Beryl Gastaldello, Sydney Pickrem and Alia Atkinson were also honored. Gastaldello earned European Female Swimmer of the Year, Pickrem garnered Canadian Female Swimmer of the Year accolades and Atkinson was named Central American & Caribbean (CAC) Female Athlete of the Year.
Casas was recognized for his record-breaking performances in the spring prior to the Covid-19 shutdown and for his impressive start to the 2020-21 season. The McAllen, Texas native earned the Commissioner's Trophy at 2020 SEC Championships, bringing home three individual medals, while also assisting on three school-record setting relay teams. So far this season, Casas has tallied seven individual automatic qualifying times for NCAA Championships and lowered four of his own school records. In A&M's first meet of the year, Casas recorded a time of 1:36.54 in the 200 back, which stands as the fourth-fastest in the history of the event, while his time of 1:39.23 in the 200 fly in a dual meet against TCU made him the seventh-faster swimmer all-time in the event. Casas closed out the fall with a pair of top-three times in the history of the respective events, clocking in at 1:38.95 in the 200 IM and 43.87 in the 100 back.
In 2020, Gastaldello went from being the top point-earner for her LA Current team during the inaugural International Swimming League season, top a top-three overall point earner in the league this season. The Miramas, France native tallied 20 individual victories through six matches and finished third with 340.5 overall points to Caeleb Dressel (463.5) and Lilly King (350.0). Gastaldello reset the French national record in the 100 free and 100 IM twice during the season, bringing her times down to 51.16 and 57.30, respectively, ranking her seventh and third all-time. At season's end she was the league's fastest swimmer in both the 100 IM and 100 fly. In long course competition earlier this month, Gastaldello swam a personal-best and FINA A-cut time of 53.40 in the 100 free at the French Elite Championships to unofficially qualify for her second Olympics this summer in Tokyo.
Pickrem had a strong start to 2020 in long course competition, swimming four different events at the FINA Champions Swim Series #1. She claimed victory in the 200 IM with a time of 2:09.26, faster than the two most recent Olympic champions in the event, as she became the first Canadian woman to crack the 2:10 mark. In short course competition, Pickrem added two more Canadian national records to her resume in her second season with the ISL's London Roar. She started the year with a victory in the 200 IM and closed out the year with another win in the event and a national record time of 2:04.00 in the season finale. After setting a new Canadian record in the 400 IM in match No. 10 of the season, she lowered her own mark to 4:23.25 in the first semifinal.
Atkinson was named CAC Female Athlete of the Year for the third straight year and the sixth time in the last seven years. The 2010 Texas A&M graduate equaled the world record in the SCM 100 breast in both 2014 and 2016, registering a 1:02.36 to share the distinction of fastest-ever with Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte. During the 2020 ISL season, Atkinson came within 3/10ths of her record with a time of 1:02.66 in the first semifinal. She broke the league record and established the fastest time in the world in 2020 before she was pushed to second after Lilly King claimed the event in the final. Atkinson placed third in the 50 breast in the ISL final (28.88), giving her four of the 10 fastest performances all-time in the race. Atkinson also swam the 100 fly in the first semifinal and set a new Jamaican National Record in the process in 57.13. She finished the year ranked second in the world in the 100 SCM breast and third in the world in the 50 SCM breast where she still holds the top two fastest performances of all time. In 2019, Atkinson qualified for her fifth Olympic Games, earning the right to race the 100 breast in Tokyo this summer, where she will represent Jamaica.
Casas was recognized for his record-breaking performances in the spring prior to the Covid-19 shutdown and for his impressive start to the 2020-21 season. The McAllen, Texas native earned the Commissioner's Trophy at 2020 SEC Championships, bringing home three individual medals, while also assisting on three school-record setting relay teams. So far this season, Casas has tallied seven individual automatic qualifying times for NCAA Championships and lowered four of his own school records. In A&M's first meet of the year, Casas recorded a time of 1:36.54 in the 200 back, which stands as the fourth-fastest in the history of the event, while his time of 1:39.23 in the 200 fly in a dual meet against TCU made him the seventh-faster swimmer all-time in the event. Casas closed out the fall with a pair of top-three times in the history of the respective events, clocking in at 1:38.95 in the 200 IM and 43.87 in the 100 back.
In 2020, Gastaldello went from being the top point-earner for her LA Current team during the inaugural International Swimming League season, top a top-three overall point earner in the league this season. The Miramas, France native tallied 20 individual victories through six matches and finished third with 340.5 overall points to Caeleb Dressel (463.5) and Lilly King (350.0). Gastaldello reset the French national record in the 100 free and 100 IM twice during the season, bringing her times down to 51.16 and 57.30, respectively, ranking her seventh and third all-time. At season's end she was the league's fastest swimmer in both the 100 IM and 100 fly. In long course competition earlier this month, Gastaldello swam a personal-best and FINA A-cut time of 53.40 in the 100 free at the French Elite Championships to unofficially qualify for her second Olympics this summer in Tokyo.
Pickrem had a strong start to 2020 in long course competition, swimming four different events at the FINA Champions Swim Series #1. She claimed victory in the 200 IM with a time of 2:09.26, faster than the two most recent Olympic champions in the event, as she became the first Canadian woman to crack the 2:10 mark. In short course competition, Pickrem added two more Canadian national records to her resume in her second season with the ISL's London Roar. She started the year with a victory in the 200 IM and closed out the year with another win in the event and a national record time of 2:04.00 in the season finale. After setting a new Canadian record in the 400 IM in match No. 10 of the season, she lowered her own mark to 4:23.25 in the first semifinal.
Atkinson was named CAC Female Athlete of the Year for the third straight year and the sixth time in the last seven years. The 2010 Texas A&M graduate equaled the world record in the SCM 100 breast in both 2014 and 2016, registering a 1:02.36 to share the distinction of fastest-ever with Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte. During the 2020 ISL season, Atkinson came within 3/10ths of her record with a time of 1:02.66 in the first semifinal. She broke the league record and established the fastest time in the world in 2020 before she was pushed to second after Lilly King claimed the event in the final. Atkinson placed third in the 50 breast in the ISL final (28.88), giving her four of the 10 fastest performances all-time in the race. Atkinson also swam the 100 fly in the first semifinal and set a new Jamaican National Record in the process in 57.13. She finished the year ranked second in the world in the 100 SCM breast and third in the world in the 50 SCM breast where she still holds the top two fastest performances of all time. In 2019, Atkinson qualified for her fifth Olympic Games, earning the right to race the 100 breast in Tokyo this summer, where she will represent Jamaica.
Players Mentioned
Back/Fly/Free
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