Press Release courtesy of the Pac-12 Conference
For the second-straight year, NCAA Champion STANFORD sweeps the postseason women’s swimming and diving awards. The Pac-12 names the recipients of the 2018 Pac-12 Women’s Swimming and Diving awards, as voted on by the league coaches. Stanford’s Ella Eastin was named the Swimmer of the Year, while teammate Brooke Forde was voted the Swimming Freshman/Newcomer of the Year and their coach Greg Meehan was named the Swimming Coach of the Year. Pac-12 diving awards were also selected. UCLA’s Eloise Belanger took home Diver of the Year honors while ARIZONA’s Delaney Schnell was voted Diving Freshman/Newcomer of the Year and UCLA head coach Tom Stebbins was selected as the Diving Coach of the Year.
SWIMMER OF THE YEAR – Ella Eastin, JR, Stanford (Irvine, Calif.) – Junior Ella Eastin is the 2018 Pac-12 Women’s Swimmer of the Year after winning three individual NCAA titles and two relay titles this year, helping Stanford claim its second-consecutive NCAA title while also garnering NCAA Women’s Swimmer of the Meet. Eastin set new NCAA, American, U.S. Open, meet and pool records in two title-winning races – the 200-yard IM (1:50.67) and in the 400-yard IM (3:54.60), also setting a new meet and pool record in the 200-yard butterfly (1:50.01). This is the second time she has claimed individual titles in those three events after doing so her freshman year. She is the three-time NCAA Champion in the 400-yard IM and 200-yard butterfly, and the two time champion in the 200-yard IM. Eastin was also part of the winning 800-yard freestyle relay for the second-straight year and a member of the winning 400-yard freestyle relay. Eastin was the 2016 Pac-12 Swimmer and Newcomer of the Year.
SWIMMING FRESHMAN/NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR – Brooke Forde, FR, Stanford (Louisville, Ky.) – Brooke Forde is the fourth-straight Cardinal to win the Pac-12 Swimming Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honor following Simone Manuel (2015), Ella Eastin (2016) and Katie Ledecky (2017). A freshman, Forde ranks among the top 10 all-time in program history in the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard IM and 400-yard IM. At the 2018 Pac-12 Championships, she placed on the podium in all four of her events: third in the 200-yard IM, third in the 400-yard IM, third in the 200-yard breaststroke and second in the 800-yard freestyle relay. She took third in the 400-yard IM behind two American record setting times by teammates Katie Ledecky and Ella Eastin. At the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, Forde was part of the NCAA Championship-winning 800-yard freestyle relay, took fourth in the 400-yard IM and 11th in the 500-yard freestyle.
SWIMMING COACH OF THE YEAR – Greg Meehan, Stanford – Meehan has been named the Pac-12 Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year for the third-consecutive year and fourth time in five years. Meehan led Stanford to claim its 10th all-time and second-straight NCAA Championship in record fashion, claiming the Pac-12’s 505th NCAA title all-time. The Cardinal’s second-straight NCAA title, is the first time it has won back-to-back championships since winning five-straight from 1992-1996, winning more national titles than any program (nine NCAA, one AIAW). Stanford claimed all five relays at the 2018 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, all in record fashion. It also claimed eight individual titles, each one breaking records. This Cardinal’s 13 NCAA titles at this year’s championships ties the all-time NCAA record. Stanford has finished in the top three at the NCAA meet in each of the last five years, including runner-up in 2014 and 2016. Meehan was also named NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year for the second-straight year, also taking the honor in 2014. It is the eighth honor for a Stanford coach.
DIVER OF THE YEAR – Eloise Belanger, JR, UCLA (Montreal, QC, Canada) – Junior Eloise Belanger has been named the Pac-12 Women’s Diver of the Year. This is the second-straight year a Bruin has received the honor after teammate Maria Polyakova won the award in 2017 and third overall after Kristen Walls received the honor in 1994. Belanger was named the Diver of the Meet at the Pac-12 Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship after winning the 1-meter diving (324.40) and 3-meter diving (367.75) competitions. She also took fourth in platform (258.40). At the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, she took 10th in the 3-meter (348.45) and third in the platform (300.65).
DIVING FRESHMAN/NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR – Delaney Schnell, FR, Arizona (Tucson, Ariz.) – Delaney Schnell becomes the third Wildcat all-time to win the Pac-12 Diving Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honor, joining Michal Bower (2014) and Mary Yarrison (2004). At the Pac-12 Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, Schnell took fifth in the 1-meter (285.70) and in the 3-meter (318.60), and was second in the platform (285.60). At the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, Schnell was sixth in the 1-meter with a score of 307.30.
DIVING COACH OF THE YEAR – Tom Stebbins, UCLA – Stebbins wins the Pac-12 Diving Coach of the Year honor for the second-straight year. He became the first Bruin head coach since 1996 to earn the honor with his nod in 2017. Stebbins coached Belanger to a Diver of the Meet honor at the Pac-12 Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship after she topped the podium in two of three diving events. At the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship, Belanger took third in the platform.
