May 2, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State swimming and diving teams celebrated the 2017-18 season with their annual awards banquet at the Nittany Lion Inn in April.
The major awards that were presented this year were the the L.D. MacNeill and Elizabeth McCoy Most Outstanding, Ellen Perry and Robert Krimmel Academic Achievement Award, the Nittany Lion Award, the 1855 Award, Swimmer Award, the Robert E. Galbraith Award and the Jerome Weinstein Award.
Hector Garcia Boissier and Ally McHugh were named the L.D. MacNeill and Elizabeth McCoy Award winners. The awards are one of a kind as they are voted on by the swimming and diving team and are given to the swimmers or divers who contribute the most to the team's success by consistently achieving outstanding performances throughout the year. Both qualified for the NCAA Championships highlighted by McHugh claiming silver in the women's mile with not only the fastest time in Penn State history, but ranking as the eighth-fastest performer all-time in the world. Garcia claimed honorable mention All-America recognition in both the 1- and 3-meter dives at the men's championships. Both were also team leaders at the Big Ten Championships, as McHugh posted three top-four finishes by winning gold in the mile, silver in the 400 IM and placing fourth in the 500 free in school-record time, and Garcia placing fifth with a school-record score on the 1-meter springboard.
Garcia Boissier was also awarded the Robert E. Galbraith Award for his outstanding contributions through performance, loyalty, spirit and leadership by a as Penn State diver.
The Ellen Perry & Robert Krimmel Academic Achievement Awards are presented each year to the student-athlete on each the women's and men's team that has attained the highest level of academic excellence throughout the season. The 2016-17 award winners were McKayla Mawn and Siena Salvaggio for the Perry Award and Nathaniel Bledsoe for the Krimmel Award.
Stephanie Szekely and Hayden Harlow were each presented with the Nittany Lion Award for their perseverance and effort as the most improved swimmer or diver during the year. Both freshmen, Szekely and Harlow both worked their way into scoring position by the Big Ten Championships. Szekely dropped a whopping 15 seconds off her previous best mile time at Big Tens and swam an NCAA B-cut in the 400 IM. Harlow shined in the 200 breaststroke, 200 IM and 400 IM, earning not only evening swims and NCAA B-cuts, but cracking Penn State's all-time top-10 performers list.
The 1855 Award is presented to the student-athletes whose improvement, transformation and personal growth mirrors that of Penn State since its founding. The recipients of this award were Tommie Dillione and Ryan O'Neill. The seniors both finished their careers on high notes, as Dillione continued to swim NCAA B-cut times, score individually at Big Tens and contribute to relays, while O'Neill, a captain, was honored as Penn State's men's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient, as he set a personal-best time in every individual and relay event that he swam during the Big Ten Championships.
The Jerome Weinstein Award is presented to the team members who are not only the hardest workers, but also those that are sure to give 100 percent to their teammates emotionally and physically through the good and tough times. Robbie Dickson and Hannah Harper, both team captains claimed the honor this season. Harper was Penn State's women's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient.
The McCoy Award is presented annual to one senior female and one senior male student-athlete who have combined successful athletic participation with academic excellence. The award is named for Ernest B. McCoy, the longtime dean of Penn State's College of Physical Education, who also served as the University's Athletic Director. Niki Price and Connor Scanlon were honored with the award this year, as both were Academic All-Big Ten honorees, while serving as key contributors in the pool.
Captain awards were also presented to O'Neill and Dickson on the men's side and Harper and Mawn on the women's side.
The 2018 seniors included on the women's side Tommie Dillione, Emily Harris, Hannah Harper, McKayla Mawn and Niki Price, and on the men's side Ryan O'Neill and Connor Scanlon.