Press Release courtesy of Flordia Athletics.
Florida’s swimming and diving program held its annual Splash Club banquet on Friday night, at which, members of the 2016-17 team were honored.
The awards span across several areas of the swimming and diving program.
The first award given out was the Giovanni Linscheer award. This honor is given to a male and female student-athlete who contributed the most to the overall success of the team. The honoree also has to display dedication, leadership, good attitude and performance.
Male recipient: Jan Switkowski
Female recipient: Hannah Burns
The second award of the evening was the Donald Gibb award, given to the male and female student-athlete that performed above and beyond expectations.
Male recipient: Enzo Martinez-Scarpe
Female recipient: Isabella Garofalo
The Skip Foster award was also presented to the most valuable male and female swimmer.
Male recipient: Caeleb Dressel
Female recipient: Savanna Faulconer
The Leadership award was given to male and female seniors whose leadership has been instrumental to the team’s overall success.
Male recipient: Mitch D’Arrigo
Female recipient: Taylor Katz and Alyssa Yambor-Maul
Following the leadership award was the Academic award, given to a male and female student-athlete to recognize academic excellence.
Male recipient: Colin Rockwell, who majors in mechanical engineering with a 3.81 GPA.
Female recipient: Autumn Finke, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English with a GPA of 3.96.
The Tracy Caulkins award was given to a female freshman based upon her performance at SEC’s and NCAA’s. She exemplifies the competitive spirit of Tracy Caulkins, demonstrating dedication, tenacity and a great will to win.
Female recipient: Kelly Fertel
The Tiger Holmes award rewards an individual who gave outstanding support to the UF swimming & diving department. This individual could be an official, Splash member or a volunteer.
Recipient: Jim Rockwell
The Tiger Holmes Outstanding Freshman award was presented to an outstanding freshman male for his performance at the SEC and NCAA Championships. He must exemplify the competitive spirit.
Male recipient: Maxime Rooney
The Bill Harland Award was presented to a male and female diver who has brought national recognition to the University of Florida.
Male recipient: Sam Smith
Female recipient: Teya Syskakis
The Bill Harlan Spirit Award was presented to an individual that most exemplifies a genuine commitment to the University of Florida swimming program.
Recipient: Georgia Hohmann
Lastly, the Special Performance award, which is not given every year, was presented to a student-athlete who has given a unique performance during the season.
Recipient: Caeleb Dressel and Mark Szaranek
The Splash Club Weekend festivities continue Saturday with a Splash Club meeting at 11:30 in the Gate 3 Lobby of the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, followed by a barbeque at 12:30 in the same location.
The 2016-17 Gator men will be honored on the field during the football game against LSU for winning their fifth-straight SEC Championship.
The Florida Splash Club consists of lifetime and annual boosters who give support to UF’s swimming & diving program. The swimming & diving staff thanks all who have been a part of the Splash Club – their dedication and leadership have paved the way for continued Gator success in the pool.
