BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- Texas A&M senior Kurtis Mathews was named the 2022 Southeastern Conference Men's Diver of the Year after bringing home a pair of medals at SEC Championships and claiming two national championships this season, while A&M head diving coach Jay Lerew earned SEC Men's Diving Coach of the Year, the league office announced Wednesday morning. Five additional Aggies garnered All-SEC Second Team honors. This is the second time in his career that Mathews has earned the SEC annual honor, also doing so in 2020, and it marks the sixth time in Lerew's career that he has brought home conference diving coach of the year accolades.
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Mathews, who recently brought home CSCAA Men's Diver of the Year accolades, capped off his decorated A&M career in historic fashion, becoming the first men's diving NCAA Champion in program history and the first men's diver to sweep the springboards at the championship meet since 2017. The Sydney, Australia native took down his own school record with a score of 438.20 in the 1-meter final to claim his first national title of the week. Twenty-four hours later, he posted a score of 91.20 on the last dive of his collegiate career to close out a high-scoring final round and finish atop the field, securing a second championship victory. At SEC Championships, Mathews started the meet claiming silver on the 3-meter on day one, and turned around to take back his 1-meter crown on day two.Â
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Mathews concluded his career in Aggieland as a two-time national champion, six-time All-American, medaling seven times at SEC Championships, including four SEC titles. He holds both springboard school records after taking down his own top score on the 1-meter to win his first NCAA title and setting the 3-meter record with a score of 483.55 at the Air Force Diving Invite this season. He is the second overall NCAA Champion in men's program history and the second to win multiple titles at the same meet. This marks the second consecutive season that the Aggies have brought home national individual accolades after Shaine Casas was named CSCAAÂ Division I Men's Swimmer of the Year in 2021.
This season, Lerew saw four men's divers qualify for NCAA Championships, bringing home three All-America honors and a pair of national titles. At SEC Championships, Mathews and Victor Povzner earned gold and silver, respectively, on the 1-meter, marking the first time in program history men's divers have finished 1-2 at the conference meet. Lerew was recently named CSCAA Men's Diving Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, and has now coached A&M's first men's and women's diving national champions. He earned the same distinction in 2012 when Jaele Patrick became A&M's first women's diver to win a national championship, claiming the top spot on the 3-meter and adding a runner-up finish on the 1-meter.Â
Five Aggies also earned All-SEC Second Team honors for their medal finishes as SEC Championships. Ethan Gogulski led the way bringing home a silver medal in each of the two backstroke events. Anze Fers Erzen joined his teammate on the podium, finishing third in the 200 back. Kaloyan Bratanov and Andres Puente also brought home bronze medals as Bratanov finished third in the 200 free and Puente took third in the 200 breast. Povzner rounded out the second team honorees with his silver-medal finish on the 1-meter.
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Mathews, who recently brought home CSCAA Men's Diver of the Year accolades, capped off his decorated A&M career in historic fashion, becoming the first men's diving NCAA Champion in program history and the first men's diver to sweep the springboards at the championship meet since 2017. The Sydney, Australia native took down his own school record with a score of 438.20 in the 1-meter final to claim his first national title of the week. Twenty-four hours later, he posted a score of 91.20 on the last dive of his collegiate career to close out a high-scoring final round and finish atop the field, securing a second championship victory. At SEC Championships, Mathews started the meet claiming silver on the 3-meter on day one, and turned around to take back his 1-meter crown on day two.Â
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Mathews concluded his career in Aggieland as a two-time national champion, six-time All-American, medaling seven times at SEC Championships, including four SEC titles. He holds both springboard school records after taking down his own top score on the 1-meter to win his first NCAA title and setting the 3-meter record with a score of 483.55 at the Air Force Diving Invite this season. He is the second overall NCAA Champion in men's program history and the second to win multiple titles at the same meet. This marks the second consecutive season that the Aggies have brought home national individual accolades after Shaine Casas was named CSCAAÂ Division I Men's Swimmer of the Year in 2021.
This season, Lerew saw four men's divers qualify for NCAA Championships, bringing home three All-America honors and a pair of national titles. At SEC Championships, Mathews and Victor Povzner earned gold and silver, respectively, on the 1-meter, marking the first time in program history men's divers have finished 1-2 at the conference meet. Lerew was recently named CSCAA Men's Diving Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, and has now coached A&M's first men's and women's diving national champions. He earned the same distinction in 2012 when Jaele Patrick became A&M's first women's diver to win a national championship, claiming the top spot on the 3-meter and adding a runner-up finish on the 1-meter.Â
Five Aggies also earned All-SEC Second Team honors for their medal finishes as SEC Championships. Ethan Gogulski led the way bringing home a silver medal in each of the two backstroke events. Anze Fers Erzen joined his teammate on the podium, finishing third in the 200 back. Kaloyan Bratanov and Andres Puente also brought home bronze medals as Bratanov finished third in the 200 free and Puente took third in the 200 breast. Povzner rounded out the second team honorees with his silver-medal finish on the 1-meter.