Atlantic Coast Conference Announces 2009 Swimming and Diving Honors
Georgia Tech’s Nevo and Plummer, Virginia’s Bernardino and Miami’s Ross garner league accolades
The Atlantic Coast Conference men’s swimming and diving awards for 2009 boasts a pair of All-Americans as Georgia Tech took two of the four individual superlatives announced Wednesday by the league office. Gal Nevo of Georgia Tech was named ACC Swimmer of the Year, while Miami’s Reuben Ross became the first repeat ACC Diver of the Year. Georgia Tech’s Nigel Plummer took ACC Freshman of the Year while Virginia’s Mark Bernardino tallied ACC Coach of the Year recognition. The awards were determined by a vote of the league’s head coaches.
Making his mark in just his first year of competition in the ACC, Nevo became Georgia Tech’s first postseason honoree as he was named ACC Swimmer of the Year. A product of Kibbutz Hamadia, Israel, the individual medley specialist earned a pair of All-America performances by finishing second in the 400 IM and fourth in the 200 IM at the NCAA Championships. In the 400 IM, Nevo’s time of 3:38.00 set a new ACC record and was good enough to best the previous NCAA record. Nevo also set a new league standard in the 200 IM with a time of 1:42.79. At the 2009 ACC Championships, Nevo swept the individual medley titles to lead Georgia Tech to a fourth place finish, the Yellow Jackets’ best since 2003.
Ross earned his second consecutive ACC Diver of the Year honor after posting three All-America finishes at the NCAA Championships. The Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, native was a unanimous selection after he finished third on the platform as well as seventh on both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards. At the 2009 ACC Championships, Ross earned first place on both the 1m and 3m boards as well as a runner-up finish on the platform. The Hurricane diver earns Miami’s fourth Diver of the Year accolade in the fifth year of the award.
Plummer, a Stone Mountain, Ga. native, shined in his first season with the Yellow Jackets to take freshman of the Year honors. He opened his first league meet with a first-place finish in the 50 free, clocking in at 19.54 which ultimately earned him a trip to the NCAA Championships. Plummer finished 60th at the national meet in the splash-and-dash event. Plummer was also instrumental in Georgia Tech’s 200 free relay championship team, which set a new league record in the win.
Virginia head coach Mark Bernardino picked up another accolade for his display case this year, as he was voted ACC Coach of the Year by his peers for the 15th time. Earlier today, Bernardino received the league’s coaching honor on the women’s side to make a sweep of both accolades for second consecutive season. The native of Drexel Hill, Pa., led his Cavaliers to their 12th championship crown as Virginia outpaced the competition at the 2009 ACC Championships in February with 832 points, the fifth-highest total in ACC history. In 2009, Bernardino’s squad produced two NCAA All-Americans (Matt McLean and Scott Robison), one NCAA All-America relay team (800 freestyle), six NCAA All-America Honorable Mention, six ACC individual champions, three ACC championship relay teams, and 11 All-ACC performers.
ACC Swimmer of the Year
Gal Nevo, Georgia Tech
ACC Diver of the Year
Reuben Ross, Miami
ACC Freshman of the Year
Nigel Plummer, Georgia Tech
ACC Coach of the Year
Mark Bernardino, Virginia
Virginia’s Christensen and NC State’s Davies named Swimmer and Diver of the Year
This year’s recipients for the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Swimming and Diving awards include the league’s second consecutive national diving champion and two NCAA All-Americans, as announced today by the league office. All of the awards were determined by a vote of the league’s head coaches.
Virginia’s Mei Christiansen backed up her ACC Championships Meet MVP honor as she was named ACC Swimmer of the Year. NC State’s Kristin Davies, NCAA Champion in Platform Diving, was a unanimous selection for ACC Diver of the Year. North Carolina’s Layne Brodie was selected as ACC Freshman of the Year while Virginia Head Coach Mark Bernardino took his 11th ACC Coach of the Year honor.
Christensen, only a junior for the Cavaliers, had a stellar third season as she took fifth place in the 100 backstroke and sixth in the 200 back to earn her first career individual All-America honor. The Reston, Va., native also took part in the All-America 400 Medley Relay team which finished in sixth place as well as three Honorable Mention All-America relay teams (200 free, 400 free, 200 medley). Christensen was part of the ACC record frenzy at the ACC Championship, where she set new league standards in the 100 free (51.79) and 200 free (1:52.22) as well as the 200 free, 400 free, 200 medley and 400 medley relays. She also earned ACC Performer of the Week twice and was named CollegeSwimming.com National Swimmer of the Week on Nov. 19.
NC State’s Davies earned NC State’s first individual postseason honor as the league’s unanimous choice for ACC Diver of the Year. The senior ended her Wolfpack career by winning the league’s second diving championship and first championship for NC State Swimming and Diving on the platform. After finishing eighth in prelims, Davies rallied in the finals to take top-honors with a score of 339.65, besting Texas’ Michelle Livingston by over 18 points. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, native took second place on the Platform at the ACC Championships to earn her second consecutive All-ACC recognition. The win also broke Miami’s string of four consecutive Diver of the Year accolades.
North Carolina earned its fifth ACC Freshman of the Year award as Tar Heel newcomer Layne Brodie made a splash to open her career. The Atlanta, Ga., native won both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events at the ACC Championships to stamp her name on the league record book. She also finished second in the 200 IM at the league meet. Brodie set new league records in both breaststroke events. At the NCAA Championships, Brodie finished 32nd in the 100 breast, 33rd in the 200 breast and 34th in the 200 IM. She also claimed medals at the ACC Championship in the 200 and 400 medley relays with third-place finishes in each event.
After guiding the Cavaliers to their second consecutive ACC championships team title and seventh in program history, Bernardino was selected by his peers as the league’s Coach of the Year. A native of Drexel Hill, Pa., he has been recognized for the coaching honor 11 times, eight outright and three as a co-recipient. Under Bernardino in 2009, the Cavaliers boasted one NCAA All-American (Christensen), one NCAA All-America relay team (400 medley relay), five ACC individual champions, five ACC championship relay teams, and 12 All-ACC performers.
ACC Swimmer of the Year
Mei Christensen, Virginia
ACC Diver of the Year
Kristin Davies, NC State
ACC Freshman of the Year
Layne Brodie, North Carolina
ACC Coach of the Year
Mark Bernardino, Virginia
Miami Diver Reuben Ross Collects ACC Honor
University of Miami junior Reuben Ross was tabbed Wednesday as the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Male Diver of the Year, as released by the conference office in Greensboro, N.C. In the process, Ross becomes the first-ever repeat recipient of the award on the men’s side.
Ross earned his second consecutive ACC Diver of the Year honor after posting three All-America finishes at last weekend’s NCAA Championships in College Station, Texas. The Regina, Saskatchewan (Canada) native was a unanimous selection after he finished third on the platform as well as seventh on both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards. At the 2009 ACC Championships, Ross earned first place on both the 1m and 3m boards, as well as a runner-up finish on the platform. The Hurricane diver earns Miami’s fourth Diver of the Year accolade in the fifth year of the award.
The 2008 Summer Olympian—diving for Canada, finishes his storied 2008-09 season as the ACC Men’s Diver of the Year, as well as the Most Outstanding Diver on the men’s side of this year’s ACC Swimming & Diving Championships.
He left this year’s platform championships as just the fifth diver in Miami’s storied history of men’s diving to earn All-American honors in all three diving events (1-meter, 3-meter and platform) at the NCAA Championships. Only Miguel Velazquez (2004), Tyce Routson (1996, ’97, 2000), Chris Mantilla (1996, ’97, ’98) and Bryan Gillooly (1996, ’97) had accomplished that task before. He earned his highest finish on the platform (third) at the NCAA’s in his career, collecting a finals score of 452.75.
Georgia Tech’s Gal Nevo was named Swimmer of the Year, while teammate Nigel Plummer picked up Freshman of the Year accolades. This year’s Coach of the Year award went to Virginia’s Mark Bernardino.
GAL NEVO AND NIGEL PLUMMER EARN ACC POSTSEASON HONORS
Georgia Tech junior Gal Nevo has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Male Swimmer of the Year, while Nigel Plummer was tabbed the Freshman of the Year, the league office announced Wednesday. This is the first time in program history for either of these awards which were determined by a vote of the league’s head coaches.
“We have achieved so much this year and it’s just fitting to end the season with Nigel and Gal winning these awards,” head coach Stu Wilson said. “I want to thank the ACC coaches for recognizing Gal and Nigel with these prestigious awards and congratulate everyone on a fantastic season.”
Nevo was an All-American in both the 200-IM and 400-IM this season. At last week’s NCAA Championships, he finished second in the 400-IM with a mark of 3:38.00. That was the second fastest time in NCAA history and third-best in the world. He also finished fourth at the NCAA meet in the 200-IM with a time of 1:42.79. Both of those marks were Georgia Tech and ACC records.
Nevo also swam the 200-breast at the NCAA Championships and earned a 19th-place finish. His three swims at the NCAA meet helped the Yellow Jackets place 19th overall, their best finish in school history.
In addition, Nevo was a member of two Georgia Tech record-setting relay teams this season. He was on the 800-free relay team with Noah Copeland, Travis Wagner and Matt Tang that set a school record with a time of 6:25.30. In addition, he teamed with Copeland, Wagner and Garrett Robberson to break a school record in the 400-free relay with a time of 2:54.72.
Plummer broke the Georgia Tech record and was an ACC champion in the 50-free this season as he finished in a time of 19.54. He was also a member of the ACC champion 200-free relay team where he joined Robberson, Mauricio Sousa and Copeland to set a new Georgia Tech and ACC record. They touched the wall in 1:17.84.
Davies Named ACC Women's Diver of the Year
On the heels of winning a national championship in the platform dive, NC State's Kristin Davies has been selected as the ACC Women's Diver of the Year as announced by the conference office on Wednesday, April 1. Of the four honors on the women's side, Davies stands as the only unanimous selection. The award is the first individual postseason honor for Wolfpack women's swimming and diving.
Davies became the first national champion in the history of the Wolfpack women’s swimming and diving program with a 339.65 in the platform dive on Saturday, March 21 at the NCAA Championships in College Station, Texas. Her title is also the first national championship in diving at NC State on either the men's or women's side.
"This is another great honor for Kristin," said head Wolfpack swimming and diving coach Brooks Teal. "This is recognition and confirmation by the ACC head coaches of what an exceptional accomplishment Kristin's platform victory at NCAA's was. These coaches know that many, many truly great athletes go through an entire collegiate career and never win an NCAA championship. Kristin's achievement puts her in a very small select group, and is a result of several years of hard work, perseverance, and preparation by Kristin.
"This is also an indication of the excellent job diving coach Jenny Keim Johansen is doing with the Wolfpack diving corps," said Teal.
Davies is a two-time All-ACC performer and was named an All-America this season. In 2008 she placed 13th at the NCAA Championships and was chosen as an honorable mention All-America selection
