2016 Swammy Awards: NCAA Female Swimmer of the Year

To see all of our 2016 Swammy Awards presented by TYR, click here

2016 NCAA FEMALE SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: LILLY KING

Lilly King (photo: Mike Lewis)

Lilly King was just a freshman for Indiana University when she stormed onto the scene at the 2016 NCAA Championships. King, who landed on the USA swimming radar when she broke the 1:00 barrier in the 100 breast at 16 years old, was a 2-time champion in her first collegiate season.

With her performance in the NCAA final of the 100 breast, King became the first woman to ever clear the 57 second barrier. King broke the NCAA and American Records in both prelims and finals, but her 56.85 in the final smashed the previous record of 57.23 done by Breeja Larson in 2014. She downed the NCAA and American Records in the 200 breast as well, giving her a sweep of the breaststroke races as a freshman. Her 2:03.85 in that race was the first sub-2:04 ever, breaking the former record of 2:04.06 done by Emma Reaney in 2014.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

In no particular order

Kelsi Worrell

• Kelsi Worrell, Louisville- Worrell, who became the first woman to ever swim sub-50 seconds in the 100 yard fly in 2015, lowered her own NCAA and American Records at the 2016 NCAA Championships, repeating as NCAA Champion with a 49.43 victory. Her relay splits at the meet were also historic, as she swam a 20.84 for the fastest 50 free split ever done by an American and a 49.25 for the fastest 100 fly split in history. In addition to her 100 fly victory, Worrell took 1st in the 200 fly. She set a Championship Record with a 1:50.61 in prelims of that event.
• Olivia Smoliga, Georgia- Smoliga, a UGA junior, played a huge role in helping the Bulldogs reclaim their status as NCAA Champions, winning 2 individual events. In the 50 free, she rocketed to the top of the podium, turning in a new NCAA Record time of 21.21. Smoliga then completed her sweep of the sprint races, touching in a blazing 46.70 to win the 100 free. In her 3rd individual event, the 100 back, she took 9th after qualifying for the B-final, but her medley relay backstroke leadoff split of 50.58 would’ve been fast enough for 2nd in the championship final.

Ella Eastin

• Ella Eastin, Stanford- As a freshman in 2016, Eastin was a major player for the Stanford Cardinal. At her first Pac-12 Championships, she dominated the IM events and swept her individual races with a victory in the 200 fly. She then went on to become a 2-time NCAA champion, winning both IMs and setting new NCAA and American Records in the 200 IM. In the 200 fly, she was 2nd only to Worrell. With her times in the 400 IM during championship season, Eastin became the youngest female swimmer ever to break 4:00 in the 400 IM.
• Leah Smith, Virginia- Smith was dominant in the distance freestyles during her junior season with Virginia. At the 2016 ACC Championships, she won the 1650 with a speedy 15:25.30, which stood as an NCAA Record until it was broken by Katie Ledecky last month. Weeks later at the 2016 NCAA Championships, Smith went on to claim back-to-back NCAA titles in the 500 free and 1650 free.