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Swim and Dive Announces Team Awards at 2023-24 Banquet
4/27/2024 4:00:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota swimming and diving program honored its 2023-24 team at its recent annual awards banquet.
Senior Megan Van Berkom and junior Bar Soloveychik were named their team's respective Swimmers of the Year, while Vivi Del Angel and YuTong Wang were chosen as Divers of the Year.
Van Berkom capped off her decorated career by earning All-America honors for the third straight season at the 2024 NCAA Championships. She placed fifth in the 400 IM, breaking her own school record with a time of 4:02.51.
At the Big Ten Championships, the Chatham, Ill. swam to her second-career Big Ten title in the 400 IM with a time of 4:06.71. Van Berkom also secured podium finishes in the 200 fly (2nd - 1:55.63) and 200 IM (3rd - 1:55.88) on her way to being named First Team All-Big Ten.
Soloveychik had a season for the record books in 2023-24. A two-event All-American in 2024, he broke the school record in all four events that he regularly swims- 200 free, 500 free, 1000 free and 1650 free.
Swimming in a quad dual at Purdue, Soloveychik broke the 1000 free record by over a second with a time of 8:52.95. Less than one month later, he led off the 800 free relay at the Big Ten Championships with a record-breaking 200 split time of 1:33.37.
The junior from Kiryat Motzkin then went on to break the 500 free record at the Big Ten Championships, where he finished second with a time of 4:11.49 before finishing 11th at the NCAA Championships in the event with a new record time of 4:11.33.
Finally, Soloveychik broke the 1650 school record at the NCAA Championships with a time of 14:41.40, finishing seventh overall after taking second place at the Big Ten Championships in the event.
Del Angel became the first woman in Minnesota history to win a National Championship on the platform. She qualified for the NCAA Championships in all three diving events after winning the 1-meter and placing third on both 3-meter and platform at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships.
The Veracruz, Mexico native was named Big Ten Diver of the Year, second-team All-Big Ten and All-American. As just a sophomore, Del Angel placed second on the platform at the Big Ten Championships and third in the 3-meter. She holds the highest scores in all three diving events for the Gophers this season.
Wang capped off his incredible freshman campaign by earning All-American honors in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. He made his way to the NCAA Championships with a second-place finish in the 3-meter and fourth-place finish in the 1-meter at Zones.
A three-time Big Ten Diver of the Week honoree, Wang was named First-Team All-Big Ten after winning the 1-meter at the Big Ten Championships. In his first meet of the season, Wang was just 17.65 points off from the school record in the 3-meter and now holds top-five scores all-time in both the 1-meter (4th) and 3-meter (3rd).
Among the other awards handed out at the banquet were those for Hardest Worker and Most Improved.
Soloveychik, Davide Harabagiu and Lovro Serdarevic took home Hardest Worker honors on the men's side, while Van Berkom, Faith Johnson and Addie Albrecht captured the same award for the women's team.
The Gophers that were tabbed as Most Improved were Jack Ballard, Matt McDonald and Joe Rudd for the men, and Eliot Kennedy, Claire Reinke and Elna Widerstrom for the women.
The W.I.N. Award goes to the individuals who do "Whatever is Needed" by stepping up and helping the team the most during meets. Freshman Katie McCarthy earned the accolade for the women, while Kaiser Neverman did so for the men.
Selected by the strength coaches, the Iron Fish award goes to those who went above and beyond in their performance training. The 2023-24 recipients for this honor were Paula Rodriguez Rivero, Kate LaMonica and Connor Groya.
The Jerry McCaul Award is given to an outstanding Minnesota male swimmer or diver who best exemplifies the late Jerry McCaul's (1957-1979) enthusiasm and dedication to the sport. McCaul pushed people to succeed, yet wanted to beat you to the wall. He was both supportive and competitive, and always positive. This year's recipient was William Christenson.
Jean K. Freeman was an outstanding alumna, coach, role model and a forever-loyal Gopher. The Jean K. Freeman Award goes annually to a female student-athlete who represents unyielding motivation and a committed spirit that is complimented with a deep-seeded dedication to personal growth. This year, that Gopher was Megan Van Berkom.
Named after the Minnesota alumna with the same name, the Dorothy L. Sheppard Award goes annually to a female student-athlete who values the science of swimming, international awareness and travel, and a competitive educational experience. Rodriguez Rivero was the winner of the award for the 2023-24 season.
Finally, the women's team honors one student-athlete per season as their Spirit Award recipient. That student-athlete this season was Morgan Thomas.
During the awards banquet, the team also revealed the recipients of the Outstanding Student-Athlete Award (cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher). This year, a grand total of 28 Gophers achieved the feat.
Senior Megan Van Berkom and junior Bar Soloveychik were named their team's respective Swimmers of the Year, while Vivi Del Angel and YuTong Wang were chosen as Divers of the Year.
Van Berkom capped off her decorated career by earning All-America honors for the third straight season at the 2024 NCAA Championships. She placed fifth in the 400 IM, breaking her own school record with a time of 4:02.51.
At the Big Ten Championships, the Chatham, Ill. swam to her second-career Big Ten title in the 400 IM with a time of 4:06.71. Van Berkom also secured podium finishes in the 200 fly (2nd - 1:55.63) and 200 IM (3rd - 1:55.88) on her way to being named First Team All-Big Ten.
Soloveychik had a season for the record books in 2023-24. A two-event All-American in 2024, he broke the school record in all four events that he regularly swims- 200 free, 500 free, 1000 free and 1650 free.
Swimming in a quad dual at Purdue, Soloveychik broke the 1000 free record by over a second with a time of 8:52.95. Less than one month later, he led off the 800 free relay at the Big Ten Championships with a record-breaking 200 split time of 1:33.37.
The junior from Kiryat Motzkin then went on to break the 500 free record at the Big Ten Championships, where he finished second with a time of 4:11.49 before finishing 11th at the NCAA Championships in the event with a new record time of 4:11.33.
Finally, Soloveychik broke the 1650 school record at the NCAA Championships with a time of 14:41.40, finishing seventh overall after taking second place at the Big Ten Championships in the event.
Del Angel became the first woman in Minnesota history to win a National Championship on the platform. She qualified for the NCAA Championships in all three diving events after winning the 1-meter and placing third on both 3-meter and platform at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships.
The Veracruz, Mexico native was named Big Ten Diver of the Year, second-team All-Big Ten and All-American. As just a sophomore, Del Angel placed second on the platform at the Big Ten Championships and third in the 3-meter. She holds the highest scores in all three diving events for the Gophers this season.
Wang capped off his incredible freshman campaign by earning All-American honors in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. He made his way to the NCAA Championships with a second-place finish in the 3-meter and fourth-place finish in the 1-meter at Zones.
A three-time Big Ten Diver of the Week honoree, Wang was named First-Team All-Big Ten after winning the 1-meter at the Big Ten Championships. In his first meet of the season, Wang was just 17.65 points off from the school record in the 3-meter and now holds top-five scores all-time in both the 1-meter (4th) and 3-meter (3rd).
Among the other awards handed out at the banquet were those for Hardest Worker and Most Improved.
Soloveychik, Davide Harabagiu and Lovro Serdarevic took home Hardest Worker honors on the men's side, while Van Berkom, Faith Johnson and Addie Albrecht captured the same award for the women's team.
The Gophers that were tabbed as Most Improved were Jack Ballard, Matt McDonald and Joe Rudd for the men, and Eliot Kennedy, Claire Reinke and Elna Widerstrom for the women.
The W.I.N. Award goes to the individuals who do "Whatever is Needed" by stepping up and helping the team the most during meets. Freshman Katie McCarthy earned the accolade for the women, while Kaiser Neverman did so for the men.
Selected by the strength coaches, the Iron Fish award goes to those who went above and beyond in their performance training. The 2023-24 recipients for this honor were Paula Rodriguez Rivero, Kate LaMonica and Connor Groya.
The Jerry McCaul Award is given to an outstanding Minnesota male swimmer or diver who best exemplifies the late Jerry McCaul's (1957-1979) enthusiasm and dedication to the sport. McCaul pushed people to succeed, yet wanted to beat you to the wall. He was both supportive and competitive, and always positive. This year's recipient was William Christenson.
Jean K. Freeman was an outstanding alumna, coach, role model and a forever-loyal Gopher. The Jean K. Freeman Award goes annually to a female student-athlete who represents unyielding motivation and a committed spirit that is complimented with a deep-seeded dedication to personal growth. This year, that Gopher was Megan Van Berkom.
Named after the Minnesota alumna with the same name, the Dorothy L. Sheppard Award goes annually to a female student-athlete who values the science of swimming, international awareness and travel, and a competitive educational experience. Rodriguez Rivero was the winner of the award for the 2023-24 season.
Finally, the women's team honors one student-athlete per season as their Spirit Award recipient. That student-athlete this season was Morgan Thomas.
During the awards banquet, the team also revealed the recipients of the Outstanding Student-Athlete Award (cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher). This year, a grand total of 28 Gophers achieved the feat.
A full list of all the honorees can be found below.
Swimmers of the Year
Megan Van Berkom, Bar Soloveychik
Divers of the Year
Vivi Del Angel, YuTong Wang
Hardest Worker
Faith Johnson, Megan Van Berkom, Addie Albrecht, Bar Soloveychik, Davide Harabagiu, Lovro Serdarevic
Most Improved
Eliot Kennedy, Claire Reinke, Elna Widerstrom, Jack Ballard, Matt McDonald, Joe Rudd
Women's Team Spirit Award
Morgan Thomas
Iron Fish
(Those who went above and beyond in their performance training)
Paula Rodriguez Rivero, Kate LaMonica, Connor Groya
W.I.N. Award
(Whatever is Needed)
Katie McCarthy, Kaiser Neverman
Jean K. Freeman Award
(Female student-athlete who represents unyielding motivation and a committed spirit that is complimented with a deep-seeded dedication to personal growth)
Megan Van Berkom
Dorothy L. Sheppard Award
(Female student-athlete who values the science of swimming, international awareness and travel, and a competitive educational experience)
Paula Rodriguez Rivero
Jerry McCaul Award
(Male student-athlete who best exemplifies the late Jerry McCaul's enthusiasm and dedication to the sport)
William Christenson
Outstanding Student-Athlete Award
(Cumulative GPA of at least 3.50)
Vivi Del Angel, Ava Gustafson, Faith Johnson, Indy Jongman, Anja Kaljevic, Mina Kaljevic, Eliot Kennedy, Kate LaMonica, Brigitta Neverman, Claire Reinke, Jade Roghair, Summer Schmit, Morgan Thomas, Elna Widerstrom, Ava Yablonski, Omar Abdelwahab, Jack Ballard, Jackson Brown, William Christenson, Connor Groya, Tyler Hansen, Josh Johnston, Chris Nagy, Joe Rudd, Desmon Sachtjen, Neil Simpson, Bar Soloveychik, Grant Wodny
Megan Van Berkom, Bar Soloveychik
Divers of the Year
Vivi Del Angel, YuTong Wang
Hardest Worker
Faith Johnson, Megan Van Berkom, Addie Albrecht, Bar Soloveychik, Davide Harabagiu, Lovro Serdarevic
Most Improved
Eliot Kennedy, Claire Reinke, Elna Widerstrom, Jack Ballard, Matt McDonald, Joe Rudd
Women's Team Spirit Award
Morgan Thomas
Iron Fish
(Those who went above and beyond in their performance training)
Paula Rodriguez Rivero, Kate LaMonica, Connor Groya
W.I.N. Award
(Whatever is Needed)
Katie McCarthy, Kaiser Neverman
Jean K. Freeman Award
(Female student-athlete who represents unyielding motivation and a committed spirit that is complimented with a deep-seeded dedication to personal growth)
Megan Van Berkom
Dorothy L. Sheppard Award
(Female student-athlete who values the science of swimming, international awareness and travel, and a competitive educational experience)
Paula Rodriguez Rivero
Jerry McCaul Award
(Male student-athlete who best exemplifies the late Jerry McCaul's enthusiasm and dedication to the sport)
William Christenson
Outstanding Student-Athlete Award
(Cumulative GPA of at least 3.50)
Vivi Del Angel, Ava Gustafson, Faith Johnson, Indy Jongman, Anja Kaljevic, Mina Kaljevic, Eliot Kennedy, Kate LaMonica, Brigitta Neverman, Claire Reinke, Jade Roghair, Summer Schmit, Morgan Thomas, Elna Widerstrom, Ava Yablonski, Omar Abdelwahab, Jack Ballard, Jackson Brown, William Christenson, Connor Groya, Tyler Hansen, Josh Johnston, Chris Nagy, Joe Rudd, Desmon Sachtjen, Neil Simpson, Bar Soloveychik, Grant Wodny
Jacob Johnson - B1G Silver Medal
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Monday, March 04
Max McHugh Wins Two B1G Titles
Monday, February 27
Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center
Saturday, May 21