68 Swimmers Honored After Strong Championship Performances

FOREST, Va. --- Men's swimming not only competed in its first ODAC Championship this season, but it also honors its first all-conference teams, joining the conference's women's programs in recognizing 68 student-athletes for outstanding performances at the 2015 ODAC Swimming Championships.  Thirty-five women garnered accolades, while the first class of men's award winners highlights 33 honorees.

Position on an All-ODAC swimming team is based on an individual swimmers highest finishing position in any event in which they competed.  A swimmer that places first or second in an event earns All-ODAC First Team status, while a third or fourth place showing is accompanied by an All-ODAC Second Team spot.  The All-ODAC Third Team is made up of those individuals whose highest placing was fifth or sixth in an event.

On the women's side, Washington and Lee University sophomore Emily Rollo was tabbed the ODAC Swimmer of the Year by the league's head coaches.  She won three events, including both the 200-yard (2:06.61) and 400-yard (4:36.16) individual medleys.  Her third win came in the 200-yard backstroke (2:02.35).  Each time eclipsed the NCAA B-cut, while her 200-back and 200-IM marks set new ODAC meet and overall records.

Teammate Kira Tomenchok earned ODAC Rookie of the Year accolades.  She joined Rollo in swimming under the B-cut in the 200-back (2:04.46), finishing second.  She won the 100-yard backstroke (0:56.77) and 100-yard butterfly (0:57.47), setting meet and overall standards in both and racing to another B-cut in the 100-back.

Emory & Henry mentor Dave Griffore earned his first ODAC Coach of the Year laurel.  In his fourth year at E&H, Griffore has elevated to Wasps' swimming program to previously unseen heights, including the program's first national raking in 2013-14, a trend that continued this season.  His teams have improved each year at the ODAC Championships, earning a second place team finish and winning nine events at the 2015 championships in Greensboro.

Generals' junior Stephanie Foster received her second straight ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award from the conference's sports information directors.  Foster maintains a 3.956 grade point average as a French and Philosophy major.  She earned CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District status as a sophomore, while also picking up a CSCAA Honorable Mention Academic All-America nod.  In the pool, Foster is now a three-time All-ODAC First Team honoree.

On the men's side, Randolph-Macon College senior Bobby Brajdic earned the inaugural ODAC Swimmer of the Year award.  He won three events, setting NCAA B-cuts and ODAC records in each.  He stopped the watches first in both the 100-yard and 200-yard backstrokes in times of 0:50.77 and 1:50.06.  He added a title in the 200-yard individual medley in 1:51.55.  Thetford won three sprints, helping the Generals to 12 event wins.

Washington and Lee first year standout Tommy Thetford claimed the ODAC Rookie of the Year accolade.  He won the 50-yard freestyle in 0:20.47, coming in under the NCAA B-cut.  He added golds in the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle in 0:45.90 and 1:43.62, respectively.

R-MC's Brent Kintzer was selected by his peers as the ODAC Coach of the Year.  Kintzer's Yellow Jackets earned 14 All-ODAC honors between the first, second and third teams.  They won five total events, including one relay, and set four NCAA B-cuts.  In addition to three eclipsed by Brajdic, Ivan Fadeyev sped to a provisional qualifying mark in the 400-yard individual medley.

Hampden-Sydney College senior Lee Ayscue earned the first men's swimming ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award.  A Chemistry major, Ayscue boasts a 3.91 grade point average.  He was one of only six Virginia college students and 283 nationally to be named a Barry Goldwater Scholar, awarded to students who have displayed outstanding potential and intend to pursue research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.  He is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.  In the pool, he holds school records in nine events.  His best showing at the ODAC Championships was ninth in the 200-yard freestyle.

Below is a complete look at the 2015 ODAC Men's and Women's Swimming All-Conference Teams.  For more on ODAC Swimming, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook, or follow @odacathletics on Twitter.