April 7, 2009
SWIM: CHIDSEY EARNS SECOND NORTHEAST-10 ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
HONORS; O'DONNELL NAMED FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR, HANNAH NAMED WOMEN'S
COACH OF THE YEAR
South Easton, Mass. - Le Moyne College senior Ricky
Chidsey (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool) has been named the
2008-09 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Swimming Athlete of the Year,
as voted upon by the conference's head coaches and announced by the
conference office on Tuesday afternoon. Freshman Katie
O'Donnell (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem) has been named the
conference's Women's Freshman of the Year. Head coach Joe Hannah
was honored by his peers as the Women's Swimming Coach of the
Year.
Chidsey, who was also named the Athlete of the Year in 2006-07 and
Freshman of the Year in 2005-06, capped his collegiate career by
earning First Team All-America honors at the NCAA Championships in
March. Chidsey, a five-time men's swimming athlete of the week this
season, finished eighth overall in the 200-yard backstroke in a
time of 1:48.82. Chidsey, named the Most Valuable Swimmer as a
sophomore at the 2006 Northeast-10 Championships, also received
Honorable Mention All-America honors in the 100-yard backstroke
after finishing in 12th place with a time of 50.34. A school record
holder in seven events, Chidsey earned First Team All-Conference
honors after finishing first in the 200-yard backstroke (1:52.52)
and the 100-yard backstroke (51.33) at the 2008 conference
championships in December.
In leading the Dolphins to a seventh-place
finish at the UNYSCSA Championships, Chidsey won the 200-yard
backstroke in an association and school record time of 1:48:54 and
the 200-yard freestyle (1:41.36), while placing second in the
50-yard freestyle (21.03). Chidsey holds individual school records
in the 200-yard freestyle (1:42.39), 200-yard IM (1:54.34) and the
200-yard backstroke (1:48.54), while also teaming in the 200 and
400-yard medley relays and 200 and 400-yard freestyle relays to set
school records.
O'Donnell, who was honored as freshman of the week four times,
qualified for three events at the NCAA Championships in her first
year of collegiate competition, earning Honorable Mention
All-America accolades in two events. She placed 11th in the
200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:03.94 to break her own school
record and finished 16th in the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:07.66
after posting a school-record mark of 2:06.77 in the preliminaries.
At the Northeast-10 Championships, O'Donnell took home First Team
All-Conference honors after winning the 400-yard IM (4:38.66) and
setting the new NE-10 Championship meet record in the 100-yard
backstroke (59.93). O'Donnell also set the school record in the
100-yard backstroke with a time of 57.67 at the NCAA Championships
and teamed for a school standard in the 200-yard medley relay
(1:49.68) at the UNYSCSA Championships in February.
Hannah, Le Moyne's only coach in the program's 19-year history, led the women's team to a second-place finish at the 2008 Northeast-10 Championships.
-agate-
Men's Swimming Athlete of the Year: Ricky Chidsey, Le
Moyne
Men's Swimming Freshman of the Year: Ryan Brauer, Saint Rose
Men's Diving Athlete of the Year: Jon Andrews, Bentley
Men's Swimming Coach of the Year: Tim Quill, Southern
Connecticut
Men's Diving Coach of the Year: Rick Danehy, Bentley
Women's Swimming Athlete of the Year: Cody Hall, Southern
Connecticut
Women's Freshman of the Year: Katie O'Donnell, Le
Moyne
Women's Diving Athlete of the Year: Amanda Burden, Southern
Connecticut
Women's Swimming Coach of the Year: Joe Hannah, Le Moyne
Women's Diving Coach of the Year: Jesse Cyr,
Southern Connecticut
