EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – UW-Eau Claire men's and women's swimming & diving coach Art Brandt recently announced the team award winners for the 2011-12 season.
Selected as the most valuable performers were Alex Card (So.-Prior Lake, Minn.) and Nicole Dorvinen (Sr.-Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port).
Card led the Blugold men's swimmers at nationals this season. He claimed two All-American honors at nationals, including one first team honor, becoming the first Blugold men's swimmer to have received the honor since the 2001-02 season. He broke three school records this year, the 100 and 200-yard breaststrokes at nationals and the 200-yard individual medley at the WIAC Championship. He also won two conference titles this year.
Dorvinen ended her career with the Blugolds as a five-time individual All-American (two first team, three honorable mention) and overall as a seven-time All-American, including relays. She captured first team All-American honors in the 400-yard individual medley at nationals each of the past two years, becoming first Blugold women's swimmer to earn first-team status since the 1995-96 season. Dorvinen leaves Eau Claire with her name in the school record book six times. Individually, she holds school records in the 1,000-yard freestyle, 100 and 200-year butterflies and 400-yard individual medley. She was also part of two school record relays, the 400-yard medley and the 800-yard freestyle. This is the third year in a row Dorvinen earned most valuable honors.
Most improved honors went to Mariah Ring (So.-Hastings, Minn.), Maggie Reilly (So.-Saint Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) and Thomas Hensen (Fr.-Delafield, Wis./Kettle Moraine).
Competing at the WIAC Championships, Hensen's best finish came in the 100-yard backstroke as he took eighth place while Reilly's best finish at conference was taking third in the 200-yard individual medley. Ring competed in seven different individual events this season and finished as high as fourth place in the 100-yard backstroke against UW-Whitewater on Jan. 28.
The most inspirational on this year's teams were Adam Rose (So.-Brookfield, Wis./Central) and Grace Fair (Jr.-Monticello, Minn.).
Fair won the WIAC title in the 100-yard freestyle and also competed at nationals. She was part of the Blugolds' 400-yard freestyle relay team that took 16th place at the NCAA Championships. Rose competed in four events at the WIAC Championship this year and had a 13th-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle.
Jake McDade (Fr.-Monona, Wis./Monona Grove) and Lisa Reed (Fr.-Duluth, Minn./East) earned Rookie of the Year honors.
McDade won a WIAC title this year in the 1,650-yard freestyle and was part of the Blugolds' 800-yard freestyle relay team that earned a runner-up finish at conference. Reed did well at her first conference championship as she competed in three events, taking seventh in two of them and eighth in the other.
Additionally, Dan Lickel, father of Aaron Lickel (So.-Madison, Wis./East) and Kirsten Lickel (Sr.-Madison, Wis./East), was presented with the Blugold Honor Award for his work helping to bring the team together and also for taking photos throughout the season.
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