Video produced by Coleman Hodges. Many thanks to NCAA Championships announcer Sam Kendricks for his help!
Joel Shinofield, Executive Director of the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), presents awards at the end of the NCAA Championships every year.
CSCAA Swimmer of the Year – Caeleb Dressel
Florida junior Caeleb Dressel has been named 2017’s CSCAA Swimmer of the Year in the NCAA, his second year winning at least a share of the award.
Dressel was the only swimmer to win all three of his individual events outright. (Texas’s Will Licon tied for the 200 IM). Dressel also led with two individual American, NCAA and U.S. Open record-setting swims.
His biggest firework swim was his massive upset of Olympic champ Joseph Schooling in the 100 fly. That’s Dressel’s third-best event, and he went 43.58 to take over the fastest time in history and beat a very tough field.
Dressel also set all the national records in the 100 freestyle, going 40.00 to win the event Saturday night. Dressel now owns the 3 fastest swims in history in that event and 6 of the top 10.
The 50 free was Dressel’s quietest event this week, despite going an absurd 18.23 twice. Dressel won the event for a third-straight season and took over all 10 of the fastest swims in history.
In addition, Dressel was a relay machine, without a bad swim all week. He was 18.23 leading off the 200 free relay in finals, plus threw down times of 17.71, 17.93 and 17.99 from relay starts between the 200 free and 200 medley relays.
Dressel split 40.56 on the 400 medley relay in prelims and swam butterfly to a 44.33 on that relay in finals.
A look at all of Dressel’s swims chronologically:
200 free relay prelims: 17.99 (relay start)
50 free prelims: 18.38
400 medley relay prelims: 40.56 (relay start – free)
200 free relay finals: 18.23 (leadoff)
50 free finals: 18.23
400 medley relay finals: 44.33 (relay start – fly)
100 fly prelims: 44.49
200 medley relay prelims: 17.71 (relay start – free)
100 fly finals: 43.58
200 medley relay finals: 17.93 (relay start – free)
100 free prelims: 41.00
400 free relay prelims: 40.67 (relay start)
100 free finals: 40.00
400 free relay finals: 40.48 (leadoff)
CSCAA Men’s Coach of the Year – Eddie Reese
Texas Head Coach Eddie Reese was named the 2017 CSCAA Coach of the Year after coaching the Longhorns to their 3rd-straight NCAA championship title at the 2017 Men’s NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana this week. Reese has now completed his 39th season of coaching at Texas. This is the 13th time in his career he’s led Texas to an NCAA title.
This season, Reese coached 4 individual NCAA Champions: Jack Conger (200 fly), Will Licon (200 IM, 100 breast, 200 breast), Clark Smith (500 free, 1650 free), and Townley Haas (200 free). Several NCAA Records went down at the hands of the Longhorns, including records in the 200 fly (Conger), 500 free (Smith), 1650 free (Smith), and 200 breast (Licon).
CSCAA Men’s Diver of the Year – Steele Johnson
Steele Johnson (Tim Binning)
In addition, Reese’s swimmers also smashed the NCAA Records in the 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay, and 400 free relay. They swam to a new American Record with their runner-up performance in the 800 free relay.
Purdue sophomore Steele Johnson was named the CSCAA diver of the year at the 2017 men’s NCAA swimming and diving championships this evening. Johnson, who redshirted last year to focus on the Olympics, won the 1m and 3m diving championships and finished 2nd in the platform diving championships.
Johnson accounted for 57 of Purdue’s 106.5 points, helping them to a 13th place overall finish. Johnson’s 57 points alone would have placed him 20th in the team standings.
This is Johnson’s second victory, as he also was honored with this award at the 2015 swimming and diving championships.
CSCAA Men’s Diving Coach of the Year – Adam Soldati
Purdue swept the CSCAA diving awards at the 2017 NCAA Championships, with coach Adam Soldati winning the Diving Coach of the Year title.
Soldati’s best-known pupil was Steele Johnson, who won both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard titles. Johnson, a sophomore coming back from a redshirt season, dominated in his return with titles on Thursday (1-meter) and Friday (3-meter). Johnson was the NCAA runner-up in platform on Saturday night.
Purdue led all programs with 4 NCAA diving qualifiers, and all four scored points. Brandon Loschiavo was 4th on platform and 13th on 3-meter. Joseph Cifelli took 6th on 1-meter and Max Showalter was 11th on platform.
Purdue’s divers scored 94.5 of the team’s 106.5 points. By themselves, Purdue’s divers would have placed 16th. As it was, Purdue was 13th as a team, the second-highest Big Ten program behind only Indiana.
Johnson was also honored with the Diver of the Year award from the CSCAA for his two-win performance.
If he wasn’t so damn fast and likeable I’d probably try to make some joke about that hair