Courtesy: Pac-12
SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference announced the recipients of the 2022 Pac-12 Women’s Swimming and Diving awards, as voted on by the league coaches. After winning the 2022 Pac-12 Championships, STANFORD swept the Pac-12 Women’s Swimming postseason honors as Regan Smith was voted Swimmer of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Stanford head coach Greg Meehan, who led the Cardinal to its 24th all-time Pac-12 Championships victory, earned his fifth Coach of the Year honor. ARIZONA’s Delaney Schnell was named Pac-12 Diver of the Year for the second consecutive year and Dwight Dumais was voted Pac-12 Diving Coach of the Year, while UTAH’s Holly Waxman earned Pac-12 Freshman Diver of the Year.
2022 WOMEN’S SWIMMER / FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Regan Smith, Fr., STANFORD (Lakeville, Minn.)
Smith has been named Pac-12 Swimmer and Freshman of the Year after leading Stanford to its 24th all-time Pac-12 Swimming & Diving Championships title and tallying 238.5 points across the Pac-12 and NCAA Championship events. She is the fifth to garner both Swimmer and Freshman honors in the same year, joining Stanford’s Ella Eastin (2016) and Caroline Bruce (2005), and California’s Elizabeth Pelton (2013) and Natalie Coughlin (2001).
The freshman captured two individual titles (100-yard backstroke, 200-yard butterfly) and contributed to four relay wins (400-yard medley relay, 400-yard freestyle relay, 200-yard medley relay, 800-yard freestyle relay) at the 2022 Pac-12 Championships. Smith also set a new Pac-12 record at the 2022 Pac-12 Championships in the 100 back with a time of 49.50. Her final time in the 200 fly (1:50.99) at the Pac-12 Championships was the fastest time in the nation this year. She claimed her first national title at the 2022 NCAA Championship event in the 200 back with a time of 1:47.76, which set a new facility record and made her the second-fastest performer in the event in school history. Smith also added an NCAA relay title to her list of postseason accolades as a member of the Cardinal’s 800 free relay. The freshman also racked up three runner-up finishes at the NCAA Championships (100 back, 200 fly, 400 free relay).
2022 WOMEN’S SWIMMING COACH OF THE YEAR: Greg Meehan, STANFORD
Greg Meehan was voted Pac-12 Swimming Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career (2014, 2016-18). Meehan led the Cardinal to their 24th all-time Conference title in program history and fifth in his coaching career at Stanford by toppling rival and defending champion California by more than 270 points. Stanford finished the Pac-12 Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships with a total of 1671.5 points, sweeping all five relays and taking first place in 12-of-18 events during the meet. He also guided the Cardinal to third place at the 2022 NCAA Championship, the program’s seventh podium appearance in his 10 seasons as head coach.
2022 WOMEN’S DIVER OF THE YEAR: Delaney Schnell, Sr., ARIZONA (Tucson, Ariz.)
Schnell was voted Pac-12 Diver of the Year for the second consecutive year after totaling 137.5 points across the 2022 Pac-12 and NCAA Championship events. The senior repeated as league champion in the 1-meter springboard (332.55) and platform (312.55) events at the Pac-12 Championships en route to earning Diver of the Meet honors. Schnell also finished as the runner-up in the 3-meter springboard with a finals score of 369.30. The senior continued her success at the 2022 NCAA Championships, where she took second in the platform (345.10), tied for fourth in the 3-meter (376.20) and fifth in the 1-meter (339.05).
2022 WOMEN’S DIVING FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Holly Waxman, Fr., UTAH (Leeds, England)
Waxman concludes her first collegiate season by becoming the first Utah recipient of the Pac-12 Women’s Freshman Diver of The Year honor. The freshman made a strong impact at her first Pac-12 Championships, earning sixth place on the 1-meter springboard (271.75) and ninth in the platform competition (233.85) to finish among the league’s top freshmen in both events. She competed at the Zone E Championships and earned NCAA bids in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events where she went on to be one of the highest finishing freshmen in the country (21st in 1-meter, 38th in 3-meter).
2022 WOMEN’S DIVING COACH OF THE YEAR: Dwight Dumais, ARIZONA
In his fifth season as Arizona’s head diving coach, Dumais has been voted Pac-12 Diving Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. Dumais led the Wildcats to one of their most dominating performances yet at the Pac-12 Championships, as they finished the diving competition with 161 points. Guided by Dumais, the Wildcats sent Delaney Schnell to the podium in all three events at Pac-12’s and to a trio of top-5 finishes at the NCAA Championships. Dumais is the second coach in program history to be voted Pac-12 Diving Coach of the Year joining Omar Ojeda in 2015.
