A number of Blue Devils received team awards in recognition of their athletic contributions and leadership during the course of the season.
Senior Delaney Lagrew and junior Maddie Rusch were named recipients of the Blue Devil Award, an all-encompassing honor that celebrates excellence and leadership in the pool, in the classroom and in the community. A team captain for the 2015-16 season, Lagrew was also recently honored with one of Duke’s Heidrick Family Postgraduate Scholarships at last week’s Student-Athlete Talent and Recognition Show (STARS). Rusch represented the Blue Devil women at the NCAA Championships for the second time in her career this spring and has served as Duke’s on-campus ambassador for Team IMPACT.
Taking home the Above and Beyond Awards were senior Kiera Molloy and freshman Evan Moretti. Both athletes were recognized for performing above and beyond the expectations of the coaching staff in and out of the pool. Their contributions in training and in competition were considered instrumental to the success of the squads this season.
Sophomore distance swimmers Verity Abel and Matt Johnson were recognized for turning in the Most Outstanding Swimming Performances of the 2015-16 campaign. Abel was selected for her mile swim at the Bulldog Invitational in February. She shaved more than 11 seconds off her season best to touch at 16:17.89, surpassing the NCAA provisional time standard and moving her into second on the Blue Devils’ all-time performance list. The performance helped solidify her trip to the NCAA Championships as an individual qualifier. Johnson collected the accolade after demolishing his own program record in the 1,000-yard freestyle in the regular season finale against North Carolina. He turned in a swift 9:08.00 clocking to take first in the field and help the Duke men finish within 14 points of their Tar Heel counterparts for the closest margin in the series since the 1970s.
Moretti joined sophomore MaryEllen Targonski in earning awards for the Most Outstanding Diving Performances. Moretti made an impressive debut at the NCAA Championships as one of just two freshmen to advance to the men’s 3-meter springboard finals. He completed the preliminary round with a career-best score of 377.55 points, good for the fifth-best in program history, and went on to finish ninth in the consolation final and 16th overall. The performance netted the Blue Devil rookie honorable mention All-America accolades. This year’s ACC Championships saw Targonski reach the women’s platform championship final for the second consecutive season. She garnered a podium finish and the first All-ACC honors of her career with a third-place showing, turning in a final score of 286.85 points.
The final award of the evening, the Most Valuable Athlete award, went to Moretti and sophomore Leah Goldman. In addition to earning All-America honors as a freshman, Moretti led the Blue Devil men with the highest 1-meter diving score of the season. He wrapped up his first year at Duke ranked fifth in program history on both the 1-meter (362.33) and the 3-meter (377.55). Goldman made her second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships in 2016, competing as an individual and as a member of the Blue Devils’ 200 and 400 freestyle relays. She broke the school record in the 200 IM at the Nike Cup Invitational and was Duke’s top performer in that event as well as the 100 butterfly. Goldman also helped set program records on the 200 and 400 freestyle relays during the course of the season.
Both the men’s and women’s teams were represented at the NCAA Championships in 2015-16 and entered the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) national rankings for the first time in program history.
Swimming news courtesy of Duke Swimming & Diving.
