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Bacon Named Diver of the Year; Chen Collects Coach of Year Honors
3/23/2021 7:05:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
MINNEAPOLIS - Redshirt-senior Sarah Bacon and head diving coach Wenbo Chen have been named CSCAA Division I Women's Diver and Diving Coach of the Year, respectively, as announced by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Tuesday morning.
With Tuesday's announcement, Bacon became the fourth member of the Maroon and Gold to receive the honor since Olympian and two-time NCAA Champion Kelci Bryant did so in 2011. Others to receive the honor in that span include two-time NCAA Champion Yu Zhou (2015) and Lexi Tenenbaum (2017). The honor is the first of Bacon's career from the national stage, though she was named NCAA Co-Diver of the Championships in 2019.
Bacon more than deserved the honor after her iconic performance at the 2021 NCAA Championships where the Indianapolis, Ind. native swept both of the springboard diving events to claim her third and fourth career NCAA titles. She had previously won the one-meter in both 2018 and 2019.
Last weekend's performances from the eight-time All-American did more than just add to her trophy case, however. With four individual NCAA titles to her name, Bacon is now both the winningest woman in Minnesota school history in any sport, the next closest having only two. She's also only the third Minnesota student-athlete to ever record an NCAA three-peat performance in any sport after having won the past three titles in the one-meter. The last Minnesota athlete to do so was John Roethlisberger, who three-peated for the men's gymnastics team in the all-around from 1991-93.
Bacon was also named an All-American in both springboard events for her efforts at last week's 2021 NCAA Championships.
For Chen, this award is nothing new, having garnered the honor on three separate occasions throughout his prestigious career (2011, '15, '17). As Chen is wrapping up his 12th year as a member of the Minnesota swimming and diving program, he has officially garnered the national honor in 33 percent of his seasons coaching the Gophers.
Though this only mark's Chen's fourth time receiving the honor, he has now coached three different student-athletes to an exceptional eight national titles over his time with the Maroon and Gold, consisting of Bacon (2018, 19, 21, 21), Zhou (2015, '17) and Bryant (2010, '11). Those achievements equate to an astounding 36 percent of springboard NCAA titles claimed over the past 11 seasons.
The 2021 NCAA Championships marked the final time Bacon and Chen will team up donning the Maroon and Gold as Bacon is set to graduate this spring with her degree in Kinesiology. Securing a pair of NCAA titles along with national honors, however, is one memorable way for their reign to end.
With Tuesday's announcement, Bacon became the fourth member of the Maroon and Gold to receive the honor since Olympian and two-time NCAA Champion Kelci Bryant did so in 2011. Others to receive the honor in that span include two-time NCAA Champion Yu Zhou (2015) and Lexi Tenenbaum (2017). The honor is the first of Bacon's career from the national stage, though she was named NCAA Co-Diver of the Championships in 2019.
Bacon more than deserved the honor after her iconic performance at the 2021 NCAA Championships where the Indianapolis, Ind. native swept both of the springboard diving events to claim her third and fourth career NCAA titles. She had previously won the one-meter in both 2018 and 2019.
Last weekend's performances from the eight-time All-American did more than just add to her trophy case, however. With four individual NCAA titles to her name, Bacon is now both the winningest woman in Minnesota school history in any sport, the next closest having only two. She's also only the third Minnesota student-athlete to ever record an NCAA three-peat performance in any sport after having won the past three titles in the one-meter. The last Minnesota athlete to do so was John Roethlisberger, who three-peated for the men's gymnastics team in the all-around from 1991-93.
Bacon was also named an All-American in both springboard events for her efforts at last week's 2021 NCAA Championships.
For Chen, this award is nothing new, having garnered the honor on three separate occasions throughout his prestigious career (2011, '15, '17). As Chen is wrapping up his 12th year as a member of the Minnesota swimming and diving program, he has officially garnered the national honor in 33 percent of his seasons coaching the Gophers.
Though this only mark's Chen's fourth time receiving the honor, he has now coached three different student-athletes to an exceptional eight national titles over his time with the Maroon and Gold, consisting of Bacon (2018, 19, 21, 21), Zhou (2015, '17) and Bryant (2010, '11). Those achievements equate to an astounding 36 percent of springboard NCAA titles claimed over the past 11 seasons.
The 2021 NCAA Championships marked the final time Bacon and Chen will team up donning the Maroon and Gold as Bacon is set to graduate this spring with her degree in Kinesiology. Securing a pair of NCAA titles along with national honors, however, is one memorable way for their reign to end.
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