2006-07 NEWMAC Women's Swimming and Diving All-Conference
WORCESTER, Mass.-- The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced its men's and women's swimming and diving postseason awards during Tuesday's coaches meeting held at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), as women's champion Springfield College captured a league-high four accolades.
WPI senior Joel Rousseau (Pittsfield, MA/Taconic) and Springfield sophomore Moira Price (Berkeley Heights, NJ/Governor Livingston) took home their first NEWMAC Men's and Women's Swimmer-of-the-Year honors. Babson College freshman Aaron Paradis (Norwich, CT/Norwich Free Academy) was the recipient of the NEWMAC Men's Diver-of-the-Year award, while Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) junior Doria Holbrook (Yakima, WA/Eisenhower) earned NEWMAC women's diving laurels for the second time.
United States Coast Guard Academy eighth-year coach John Westkott picked up his second straight coach-of-the-year honor on the men's side, while Springfield's John Taffe was voted NEWMAC Women's Coach of the Year in his 18th season. Babson's Joe Chirico was named men's diving coach of the year in just his second season with the Beavers, and the Pride's Peter Avdoulos garnered women's diving coaching accolades in his 22nd campaign at Springfield.
Rounding out the honors were the inaugural team sportsmanship awards. Springfield was awarded the honor for the men, while Mount Holyoke College was the top vote getter for the women.
Rousseau posted three all-conference performances during last weekend's championship at Wheaton, winning the 100-yard backstroke and butterfly events with NCAA Division III national meet provisional qualifying times. He also met another national provisional standard in the 200-yard backstroke, placing second in the event.
Price was a five-time all-conference award winner in leading the Pride to its seventh straight NEWMAC title, as she was a part of four top finishes. Setting conference championship records with event wins in the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes, Price posted a national meet automatic qualifying time in the 200 breaststroke and a provisional standard in the 100 breast. She was also a part of the winning 400-yard freestyle and medley relay teams and runner-up 200 free relay quartet.
Paradis swept the one- and three-meter dives during his first collegiate conference championship appearance, qualifying for the national championship in each dive. Holbrook, who also secured the NEWMAC's top diving honors as a freshman, won both events off the platform with national meet standards in leading MIT to a runner-up team finish.
Westkott's conference coaching honor was his fourth after leading the Coast Guard men to their fifth league crown in the NEWMAC's nine-year history. Taffe was tabbed with top coaching laurels for the fifth time on the women's side, Avdoulos won a diving conference award for the fifth consecutive season, and Chirico's recognition marks his first.