Boston College Athletics
Swimmers And Divers Receive Awards At Banquet
March 31, 2000 | Swimming
March 31, 2000
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Boston College swimmers and divers received awards at a team banquet Thursday March 30 in Chestnut Hill.
The women's team rode a six-meet win streak to a 7-3 record this season. Equally as impressive, the men's crew ended the season at 6-3.
Freshman Nina Suryoutomo (Fremont, Calif.) , who set new school records in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events and 100-yard backstroke in addition to two relay standards , was named Most Valuable Performer of the women's team. Senior Greg Dwyer (Rochelle Park, N.J.) and junior Ken Barton (Meridien, Conn.) earned the men's MVP honors. Dwyer, noted for his versatility, picked up his second MVP award while the team's high scorer and top breaststroker, Barton, earned the accolade for the first time. His best effort came during the ECAC Championships where he won the 200-yard breaststroke consolation heat with a personal best time of 2:08.17.
Sophomores Steven Hunter (Chester, N.Y.) and Brianne Sullivan (Staten Island, N.Y.) won the Kevin Conway Award for promises fulfilled in their second season.
Three Eagle swimmers were distinguished with the Harold M. Groden Award, named after Coach Groden's father, for their outstanding performances. Freshman Matthias Schildwachter's (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) time of 54.79 in the 100-yard butterfly propelled BC to its first victory in five meets over Rhode Island. Nicole Duffy (Chesterfield, Mo.) swam 5:06.64 to lead a 1-2-4 BC charge in the 500-yard freestyle over Northeastern. The freshman had been a recipient of the team's Outstanding Performance award in five of nine dual meets.
Sophomore Lauren Schwartz (Mt. Laurel, N.J.) placed a team-best fourth place in the 200-yard butterfly at the BIG EAST championships, swimming 2:05.83. After the morning swim, Schwartz was tied for eighth in that event and participated in a swim-off, trimming her time by 0.79, to earn a spot in the finals.
Juniors Mike Wilt (Columbia, Conn.) and Brian O'Neill (Reno, Nev.) earned the Mary Pawlak award for special recognition. Wilt, BC's top male diver, became the second Eagle to win this award in two consecutive years. O'Neill has steadily improved his breaststroke and individual medley times over the past two years. On the women's side, Allyson Horgan (Haverhill, Mass.) received the honor, after fighting her way back to an ECAC cut in the 200 IM after an injury. Horgan won the team's MVP honors as a sophomore, earning NCAA times in that campaign.
