[su_spacer size=”40″] Ball was named the SEC Female Freshman of the Year, Fink was picked as the SEC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and Bauerle earned SEC Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year honors for the 15th time.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Ball, a native of Powell, Ohio, won the 3-meter springboard title and came in fourth on the 1-meter at the SEC Championship at Auburn in February. Fink, a senior from Morristown, N.J., boasts a 3.80 grade point average in Agricultural Engineering and won the 100 and 200 breaststroke titles at the SECs (the first Bulldog and the second male in SEC history to win the 100 breaststroke all four years). Bauerle, who also has been named the SEC Men’s Coach of the Year twice, led the Lady Bulldogs to their sixth straight and their 12th overall conference championship.
[su_spacer size=”40″] “It’s so gratifying for a coach when student-athletes on your team receive conference honors,” Bauerle said. “I am so proud of Olivia and Nic. Olivia had an outstanding year for us and gave us a real boost at the SECs. Nic, year in and year out, has been one of the hardest workers in the classroom and in the pool, so I am not surprised to see him recognized in this way.
[su_spacer size=”40”] “I’m also honored to receive the Coach of the Year Award on behalf of our coaching staff and our student-athletes. Outstanding staffers and student-athletes make awards like this possible. I want to thank my fellow league coaches for their support. I think we have the best conference in the country. It’s competitive but friendly, and I really enjoy working with them.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] “I’m very pleased to hear Olivia was voted SEC Freshman of the Year,” Georgia diving coach Dan Laak said. “She had a great year, one that we can build on. I can’t wait to see what the future brings. Olivia works very hard both in the pool and in the classroom. She is very deserving of this award.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] Following the SEC meet in which the Lady Bulldogs were first and the Bulldogs came in second, Hali Flickinger and Chase Kalisz earned the Commissioner’s Trophy for high-point honors. Flickinger won the conference title in the 400 individual medley and was the runner-up in the 200 backstroke and the 200 butterfly, while Kalisz claimed the 200 butterfly and the 400 individual medley.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Ball and Flickinger led the Lady Bulldogs’ selections on the All-SEC First Team. Joining them on the First Team were Lauren Harrington, Maddie Locus, Brittany MacLean, Jordan Mattern, Amber McDermott, Olivia Smoliga and Chantal Van Landeghem. The Second Team included Kylie Stewart and Annie Zhu. Ball and Stewart were joined on the All-Freshman Team by Megan Kingsley, Meaghan Raab and Courtney Weaver.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Fink, Kalisz, Matias Koski and Ty Stewart were named to the All-SEC First Team, while Gunnar Bentz, Alec Cohen, Taylor Dale and Ian Forlini were Second-Team selections. The All-Freshman Team included Bentz, Forlini, Jay Litherland and Kevin Litherland.