Drexel senior Joel Berryman was picked as the 2016 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Men's Swimmer of the Year and Drexel senior David Sanchez was honored for the third time in his career as the CAA Men's Diver of the Year in a vote by the league's head coaches.
Joining Berryman and Sanchez as award winners in men's swimming and diving were Towson freshman Jack Saunderson as Rookie Swimmer of the Year and Drexel freshman Michael Binkauskas, who was tabbed Rookie Diver of the Year. For the third straight season, William & Mary's Matt Crispino was voted CAA Men's Swimming Coach of the Year and Delaware’s Brian Coonce earned the men’s diving Coach of the Year award.
Berryman capped his senior season by being named Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet at the 2016 CAA Championships after guiding Drexel to a best-ever second-place finish. The New Zealand native tied for the lead with 60 individual points at the championship by winning three individual titles – the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events as well as the 100-yard backstroke. Berryman won the 100-free in championship record-setting time (43.56), and then successfully defended his title from a year ago in the 50-free (20.02). On Day 3 of the CAA Championships, the senior won the 100-back in 47.16. Berryman is Drexel’s first-ever CAA Men’s Swimmer of the Year award winner.
Sanchez made CAA history by becoming just the second student-athlete to win Men’s Diver of the Year honors three times in his career. The senior also earned Most Outstanding Diver of the Meet honors at the CAA Championship for the third time. He won the men’s 1-meter board for the first time in his career with a season-best score of 333.25 and then earned a second-place finish on the men’s 3-meter board (355.50), having previously won the individual title for that event in 2013 and 2015. In all, Sanchez completed his career with three CAA Championship gold medals and four major diving awards – three Men’s Diver of the Year honors and one Rookie Diver of the Year trophy.
Saunderson is Towson’s first-ever Men’s Rookie Swimmer of the Year award winner and just the second Tiger male to earn a major CAA swimming honor. The freshman tied for the lead with most points (36) by any rookie on the men’s side at the 2016 CAA Championship. He won his first conference title in the 200-yard fly and did so in impressive fashion, setting a new championship mark in 1:45.02. Saunderson also placed third in the 100-yard fly (48.01) and was the only freshman to reach the finals for that event.
Binkauskas was the only freshman to advance to the finals on both boards at the CAA Championships, placing sixth on the 1-meter (212.40) and eighth on the 3-meter (227.10). The Kentucky native is Drexel’s fourth CAA Men’s Rookie Diver of the Year honoree and the program’s first since Sanchez accomplished the feat in 2013.
Once again, Crispino was picked by the league’s head coaches as the Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year. His third consecutive coaching award comes on the heels of leading the Green and Gold to their second straight conference championship. William & Mary set a new CAA title meet record with 969.50 points, had six men place in the top 10 for individual points and won four of the meet’s five team relays.
Coonce, a 2013 Delaware graduate, is the Blue Hens’ first-ever Diving Coach of the Year award winner. UD’s first-year coach had immediate impact, helping junior Luke Winkler win the program’s first CAA diving title on the 3-meter board (356.30). Winkler also earned bronze on the 1-meter, while senior Colin Hall placed fourth on both diving boards.
Drexel junior Rachel Bernhardt was selected as the 2016 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Women's Swimmer of the Year and James Madison junior Olivia Lehman was picked as the CAA Women's Diver of the Year in a vote by the league's head coaches, the conference announced on Wednesday.
Joining Bernhardt and Lehman as major award winners were William & Mary freshman Morgan Smith, who was chosen as the CAA Rookie Swimmer of the Year, and Towson freshman Emily Wilson, who was picked as the league's Rookie Diver of the Year. Additionally, William & Mary’s Matt Crispino was honored as the Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year for the first time in his career and first-year Delaware coach Brian Coonce was named Women’s Diving Coach of the Year.
Bernhardt made a number of historic achievements during her junior campaign, highlighted by a strong showing at the CAA Championships. She became the first Drexel women’s swimmer to earn an individual title, capturing two titles, in fact, when she won gold in both the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke events. Following the conclusion of the league championships, Bernhardt became the first DU swimmer (men or women) to qualify for the NCAA Championships. She placed 38th in the 100 breast and 47th in the 200 breast. A native of Vineland, N.J., Bernhardt is the only Drexel women’s swimmer in program history to win the CAA Swimmer of the Year award.
Lehman enjoyed a breakout junior season and added to the impressive trend of diving award winners at JMU. The Ohio native, who was named Most Outstanding Women’s Diver of the Meet at the CAA Championships, is Madison’s sixth straight Diver of the Year honoree. Lehman earned silver on the 3-meter board at the conference diving championships and gold on the 1-meter, obtaining her first individual CAA title. The junior didn’t finish her season there, though. She was just the second JMU diver to ever qualify for the NCAA Championships after becoming the first Dukes' diver to win gold on the 1-meter board at the Zone Qualifiers. She also finished ninth on the 3-meter board. At the NCAAs, Lehman placed 49th on the 3-meter and 40th on the 1-meter.
Smith contributed the most individual points (49) by any freshman at the CAA Championships and played a big role in the Tribe winning the conference title. William & Mary’s third straight Rookie Swimmer of the Year award winner captured the individual title in the 1,650-yard free at the league championships, setting a new program and freshman record (16:36.86). Smith, a native of Verona, N.J., also added to the Green & Gold’s title run by placing fourth in the 500-yard free and fifth in the 400-IM at the championship.
In her first CAA Championships appearance, Wilson placed sixth on the 3-meter board (2:38.15) and 14th on the 1-meter board (210.30). The freshman had the highest finish by any rookie on the 3-meter board. She’s the first Towson woman to win the CAA’s Rookie Diver of the Year honor.
For the first time in his career, Crispino was named Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year. Despite having no female divers, William & Mary managed to win the 2016 women’s title for just the second time in program history and first since 2007. Under Crispino’s guidance, the Tribe had three swimmers finish in the top 10 for individual points at the championship and saw three team relay victories as well.
Coonce’s first season at the helm of Delaware’s diving program will be one to remember after he became the first UD coach to earn the league’s top diving coaching award. A 2013 Delaware graduate, Coonce helped senior women’s diver Kristina Congdon win the women’s 3-meter title and placed second in the 1-meter at the CAA Championships, which was the first women’s diving medal for UD since 2003. He also guided fellow senior Caitlin Stockwell to bronze medal finishes on both boards at the championships.
