CLEVELAND, OH -- Kenyon's Ron Kontura and Wittenberg's Patrice Hickey have been named Men's and Women's Diving Coaches of the Year, while Wabash's Will Bernhardt and Wooster's Rob Harrington have been named Men's and Women's Swimming Coaches of the Year to close out the 2022 NCAC Championships. Both sets of awards were announced today after voting by the conference's head coaches.
Kontura, in his fifth season with the Lords, earns his third Coach of the Year award (2018, 2020) as Kenyon earned a one-two-three finish in the one-meter event and posted a first- and third-place showing in the three-meter competition at the 2022 NCAC Championship. Kenyon sophomore Israel Zavaleta (Mexico City, Mexico/Universidad del Valle de Mexico) claimed NCAC Men's Diver of the Year honors after sweeping both the one-meter and three-meter boards for the Lords. He recorded regional qualifying scores in both events, totaling 483.65 points in the one-meter and 594.85 in the three-meter.
Hickey, in her second season with the Tigers, claims her first Coach of the Year award. She guided Wittenberg senior Emma Hellmann (Cincinnati, OH/Summit Country Day) to NCAC Women's Diver of the Year honors after Hellmann swept both boards at the 2022 championship. Hellmann posted regional qualifying scores in both events, scoring 460.40 points on the one-meter board before setting the new NCAC record of 503.50 in the three-meter competition.
Bernhardt, who is in his fourth season with the Little Giants, collects his first Coach of the Year award after leading his team to a third-place finish with the program's third-highest point total. Wabash accumulated 1,117 points, while logging five All-NCAC finishes in the 21 events contested at the 2022 championship. The Little Giants were highlighted by junior Caleb McCarty (Decatur, IN/Bellmont), who earned a second-place finish in the 100 freestyle with an NCAA "B" cut time of 44.67. McCarty also swam a leg in three of the four Wabash relays that took home All-NCAC accolades after third-place finishes, including the 200 (1:23.32) and 400 (3:03.57) free relays and the 200 medley relay (1:33.12). The Little Giants also collected a third-place finish in the 400 medley relay (3:27.61).
After leading the Fighting Scots to a fourth-place finish at the 2022 championship, Harrington captures his third Women's Coach of the Year nod (2012, 2017). Wooster accumulated 1,092 points to earn the team's 16th top-four finish during his 19-year tenure. The Scots claimed four all-conference certificates and were headlined by Ollie Bream (Pinehurst, TX/Firbank Grammar School (Australia)) who earned a third-place finish in the 200 butterfly with an NCAA "B" cut time of 2:03.74. Bream also swam a leg in each of Wooster's relays that took home third-place honors, including the 800 freestyle relay (7:51.68) and the 200 (1:47.03) and 400 (3:54.70) medley relays. This is Harrington's fourth overall coach of the year honor, as he earned Men's Swimming Coach of the Year in 2019.