SMU W-Swim Garners Three All-Conference Awards

IRVING, Texas (SMU) – Three SMU women’s swimmers have earned Conference USA Swimming and Diving Specialty awards as voted by the league’s coaches. Therese Svendsen was named C-USA Swimmer of the Year for the second straight year, while teammate Nina Rangelova claimed Freshman Swimmer of the Year. Rounding out the awards is Genny Konicke, who garnered the Newcomer of the Year honor.

Svendsen finished her junior year earning All-American status by placing ninth in the 100-yard backstroke at the NCAA Championships with an SMU-record time of 52.35 seconds. At the 2011 Conference USA Championships, she broke two meet records en route to winning six gold medals. She also bettered previously held records in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke clocking in at 52.62 and 1:53.82, respectively. Svendsen’s other gold medals at the C-USA Championships were achieved in the 200-yard medley relay, 800-yard freestyle relay, 200-yard individual medley and 400-yard medley relay.

Rangelova helped the Mustangs to a relay gold medal in the 400-yard medley relay while also earning two other gold medals and a silver at the C-USA Championships. Clocking in at 1:46.63 in the 200-yard freestyle, her gold medal performance was also the fastest time of the season. Her other gold medal performance came in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:45.76 and her silver medal came in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 50.10. She held the fastest time of the season among all conference swimmers in the 1,000-yard freestyle at 10:00.89. At the NCAA Championships, Rangelova placed 27th in the 200-yard freestyle (1:46.43), 53rd in the 100-yard freestyle with a personal best time of 50.01 and the 54th in 500-yard freestyle (4:48.59).

Konicke rounds out this year’s specialty awards as Newcomer of the Year. The junior transfer won two gold medals at the C-USA Championships. She placed first in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 52.80, an NCAA `B’ Qualifying time. Her other gold medal came in the 200-yard freestyle relay in which the team timed in at 01:31.84, the fastest time of the season and an NCAA `B’ Qualifying score. Konicke also competed at the NCAA Championships, finishing 44th in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 54.03.