Courtesy: Sun Belt Conference
NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference on Friday announced its Women’s Swimming & Diving Awards, recognizing standout performances from the 2024 season. The awards were voted on by the head coaches of Sun Belt Conference women’s swim & dive programs.
The Sun Belt also announced the All-Sun Belt Conference honorees from the 2024 Sun Belt Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.
The student-athletes recognized include:
• Swimming Performer of the Year: Madison Cottrell, James Madison
• Diving Performer of the Year: Alexa Holloway, James Madison
• Co-Freshman of the Year: Riley Bridgman, James Madison
• Co-Freshman of the Year: Molly Warner, Marshall
• Co-Newcomer of the Year: Rachael Brown, James Madison
• Co-Newcomer of the Year: Tetiana Yevminova, Old Dominion
• Coach of the Year: Dane Pedersen, James Madison
Swimming Performer of the Year: Madison Cottrell, James Madison
James Madison’s Madison Cottrell won a total of seven titles at the championships in Orlando, Fla. The senior from Henrico, Va. won three individual titles with four relay gold medals. At the championships, Cottrell aided in five new Sun Belt Championship records and was the top-scoring swimmer of the meet. She recorded 11 individual wins over the course of the season and recorded NCAA “B” cut times in both the 100 Fly and 100 Back. The senior has etched her name into the record books at JMU with a pair of individual records on top of four relay records.
Diving Performer of the Year: Alexa Holloway, James Madison
James Madison’s Alexa Holloway claimed both the 1-meter and 3-meter titles at the Sun Belt Championships to earn Diving Performer of the Year. The junior from Spring, Texas surpassed NCAA Zone qualifying scores on both boards and recorded seven wins over the course of the season. Holloway also set a new benchmark at the Sun Belt Championships with a meet record score of 332.10 in the 1-meter dive. She was a finalist at the Zone A qualifying event for the 1-meter and finished 14th at the event, which was the highest by any Sun Belt competitor.
Co-Freshman of the Year: Riley Bridgman, James Madison
James Madison’s Riley Bridgman earned a pair of silver medals at the Sun Belt Championships and finished in the top eight for all three events she competed in. She was also the second highest scoring freshman at the event. Bridgman was a staple in the 200 and 400 medley relay teams that set both Sun Belt Championship and JMU records. Within the program, the freshman from Colonial Heights, Va. is on a pair of school record relay teams and has recorded three times in the top ten of the program’s school records.
Co-Freshman of the Year: Molly Warner, Marshall
Marshall’s Molly Warner tied for the highest individual point total for any freshman at the Sun Belt Conference Championships. She was the only freshman to have an NCAA Provisional Standard (400 IM – 4:17.06). The Utica, Mich. native achieved lifetime best performances in everyone event she swum, including a leadoff 200 Freestyle that would have placed her second in the individual event. She received a gold medal as a member of the 800 Freestyle Relay, two silver medals (200 IM and 200 Butterfly), and one bronze medal (400 IM). Warner also moved into the top ten times in five events including three individual efforts.
Co-Newcomer of the Year: Rachael Brown, James Madison
In her first season with the Dukes, Rachael Brown from Midlothian, Va. scored 25 points for the team at the Sun Belt Championships. The sophomore was a finalist in both the 100 and 200 Breast, where she finished seventh and sixth.
Co-Newcomer of the Year: Tetiana Yevminova, Old Dominion
Old Dominion’s Tetiana Yevminova was a member of the 200 Medley Relay that finished third in a time of 1:41.52 to give her All-Conference Third Team honors. At the championships, she also finished 11th in the 200 IM and was a member of the 400 Free Relay that finished fourth at 3:31.10. Against George Mason, she placed second in the 50 Fly with a time of 26.47, and in the regular-season finale win over American, took second in the 200 IM with a time of 2:10.03.
Coach of the Year: Dane Pedersen, James Madison
James Madison’s Dane Pedersen led the Dukes to their first Sun Belt Conference title and sixth swimming and diving title in the last seven seasons. He guided the team to a league record 1,091 points to become the first team in the league’s history to record over 1,000 points at the championships. Pedersen led a team that recorded seven meet records, which included four of the five relay records. With his leadership, the Dukes swept both the top swimming point scorer and top diving point scorer at the championships. At the championships, James Madison finished with 10 gold medals, nine silver medals and eight bronze medals individually. The relay teams won four gold medals with a silver.
2024 Sun Belt Women’s Swimming & Diving All-Conference First Team
Cameron Gring, James Madison
Riley Bridgman, James Madison
Madison Cottrell, James Madison
Jamie Cornwell, James Madison
Jess Pryne, James Madison
Alex Volk, James Madison
Sydni Diehl, James Madison
Grace Bousum, James Madison
Alexa Holloway, James Madison
Molly Warner, Marshall
Madeline Hart, Marshall
Audrey West, Marshall
Eszter Laban, Marshall
Paige Banton, Marshall
2024 Sun Belt Women’s Swimming & Diving All-Conference Second Team
Katelyn Fitzgerald, James Madison
Angela Ritchie, James Madison
Mia McBride, Marshall
Klava Katayama, Marshall
Grace Kelsheimer, Marshall
Parker Lynch, Marshall
Gabrielle Ivey, Marshall
Martina Ciriesi, Old Dominion
2024 Sun Belt Women’s Swimming & Diving All-Conference Third Team
Zuri Clavo, Georgia Southern
Jamison Tiller, Georgia Southern
Carsyn Cosman, Georgia Southern
Chiara Alberti, Georgia Southern
Carsyn Cosman, Georgia Southern
Logan Belanger, Georgia Southern
Abby Wenham, Georgia Southern
Emma Scruggs, Georgia Southern
Ieva Evaltaite, Georgia Southern
Madlen Wendland, Georgia Southern
Emma Sutton, Georgia Southern
Abby Maguire, James Madison
Lauren Aylmer, James Madison
Kate Vitolo, James Madison
Kiersten Donnelly, Old Dominion
Mary Dunworth, Old Dominion
Tetiana Yevminova, Old Dominion
