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Richards Named CC Men's Swimming Coach of the Year
(Carlisle, Pa.) – Dickinson College men's swimming coach Paul Richards was named the Centennial Conference Men's Swimming Coach of the Year for 2011. Richards led the Red Devil men to a 9-2 dual-meet record, finishing 5-1 in the conference standings and fourth at the Conference Championships.
Richards has earned nine Coach of the Year awards in his career, including seven Capital Athletic Conference and one Atlantic States Swim Conference honors. In every semester since Richards joined the Red Devil coaching staff in 1994, Dickinson's swim teams have earned prestigious Scholar All-Academic awards from the College Swim Coaches Association of America.
The Red Devils capped a great season with some outstanding performances at the 2011 Centennial Conference Championships. The Red Devil men and women combined to break 16 school records a remarkable 21 times over the weekend. First-year Jason Adams (Kingston, Jamaica/Kent School, Conn.) was named the Outstanding Male Performer of the meet, becoming the first male to earn the honor in his rookie season. He broke four individual school records and joined four relay teams that set school marks. He broke the school record in the 50 freestyle three times on the second day of competition.
Adams collected five First-team All-Conference honors, winning three individual titles and a pair of championships with the 200 and 400 medley relays. He earned honorable mention All-CC honors with the 200 and 400 free relay teams. Senior Jordan Reed (Mercersburg, Pa./Mercersburg Academy) captured titles and First-team honors with an individual win in the 100 breaststroke, setting a school and pool record in the final (59.40). He was part of the winning medley relays, joined by Cris Miranda (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) and Andrew Wade (Stamford, Conn./Westhill) in the 400, and Zach Yocum (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) and Wade again in the 200 medley. Yocum added honors with the 400 free relay as well.
Wade was part of four school marks in the 200 and 400 medley relays, and 200 and 400 free relay events. He added honorable mention honors with second place finishes in the 50 freestyle and in the 100 freestyle with a school mark of 46.64.
Senior Tyler Derreth (Hanover, Pa./South Western) and first-year Kevin Chibbaro (North Brunswick, N.J./N. Brunswick Township) earned honorable mention All-CC with the 200 free relay.
Adams posted NCAA automatic qualifying times in the 50 freestyle (20.36), the 100 backstroke (49.83) and the 100 butterfly (49.07). The men's 400 medley relay clocked a provisional qualifying time of 3:26.75.
The women's team turned in some strong performances at the championships as well, placing fifth in the team standings. First-year Carson Gannon (Morristown, N.J./Morristown Beard) broke the school record twice in the 500 freestyle, earning All-Conference with a second-place finish and NCAA-provisional qualifying time of (5:04.59). She set a school record in the 200 freestyle (1:55.32) and as the lead leg of the 800 free relay that shattered the old mark of 8:01.87 with a pool record time of 7:52.02.
First-year Natalie LeBlanc (Westport, Conn./Staples) anchored the 800 free relay and also set a school and pool record in the prelims of the 200 individual medley (2:11.97). Classmate Gillie Grattan (Richmond, Va./Trinity Episcopal) and junior Eva Kolstad (Cheshire, Conn./Hopkins School) were also part of the 800 free relay.
Click here for a chart of the top performances at the Centennial Conference Championships.
