ELMHURST, Ill. – Denver’s Anton Loncar was voted 2016 Summit League Men’s Swimmer of the Year while teammate Bailey Andison claimed the Women’s Swimmer of the Year honor. IUPUI’s Krisztian Somhegyi was voted Men’s Diver of the Year and South Dakota’s Greysen Hertting took home Women’s Diver of the Year, in a vote of the league’s head coaches as announced by the league office Wednesday.
Loncar is the third straight Denver swimmer to be selected Swimmer of the Year. The sophomore earned Summit League titles in both the 100 and 200 backstroke, earning spots in the NCAA Championships in the process. In Atlanta, Loncar placed 19th in both events while clocking a career-best and Summit League record time of 46.20 in the 100 back. The Hillsboro, Ore., native also broke his own all-time league mark in the 200 back (1:40.95) earlier this season. Loncar was also a part of two Summit League relay championships (200 free, 400 free), helping set an all-time league-best time of 1:18.42 in the 200 free relay.
Andison collected the female Swimmer of the Year honor after earning Newcomer of the Championship at this year’s league championships. The Denver freshman claimed league titles in both the 200 IM and 400 IM, setting championship meet records in both events and qualifying for the NCAA Championships. The Smiths Falls, Ontario, native placed 10th in the 400 IM (4:06.91) and 14th in the 200 IM (1:56.51), earning Second Team All-America honors and setting new all-time league marks in both events.
Somhegyi was voted Men’s Diver of the Year after sweeping both boards at the league championships in February and being named Diving Championship MVP. The IUPUI freshman set a championship meet record in the three-meter dive with a score of 354.70. Selected Diver of the Week five times during the course of the season, Somhegyi is the first Jaguar diver to sweep both boards in a single championship meet since 2004.
Hertting was selected Women’s Diver of the Year for the third straight season, becoming the first woman to accomplish the feat. The South Dakota junior claimed both the one-meter and three-meter dives at The Summit League Championships for the third straight year en route to claiming her third consecutive Diving Championship MVP honor. The Appleton, Wis., native is the first female diver to sweep both boards in three consecutive championships in Summit League history.
Swimming news courtesy of Summit League.