Feb. 25, 2011

By Wes Todd
Assistant Media Relations Director

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior diver Taryn Zack was named the Southeastern Conference’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year as the SEC announced its year-end swimming and diving awards on Friday.

In addition, Zack and freshman Amanda Rutqvist were first-team All-SEC selections, while Rutqvist and fellow freshman Rachael Schaffer were both named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

Zack, a native of Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada, graduated in June 2010 with a degree in exercise science and a GPA of 3.926; she is currently in graduate school where she is pursuing a physical therapy degree and carries a perfect 4.0 GPA. Two weeks ago, Zack won her second SEC Championship in 1-meter diving, scoring an SEC Championship-record 336.55 to win the title in Gainesville, Fla. She also captured the 1-meter title as a sophomore in 2009. Zack is the school record-holder in 1-meter diving (357.75) and 3-meter diving (389.03).

Rutqvist won South Carolina’s first-ever SEC Championship by a women’s swimmer, earning the crown in the 200-yard breaststroke final at last week’s league meet in Gainesville and securing a spot on both the All-SEC and All-Freshman teams. Her time of 2:08.56 set both a South Carolina and an SEC record, and ranks as the fifth-fastest time in the nation heading into next month’s NCAA Championships. The native of Gothenburg, Sweden, also earned a fourth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke in addition to strong swims in the 200 IM, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay.

Schaffer made two appearances in finals at the SEC Championships to earn a selection to the SEC All-Freshman Team. She posted a fifth-place finish in the 200 individual medley and a sixth-place showing in the 400 IM. The native of Baltimore, Md., has the nation’s 17th-fastest time in the 200 IM and the 19th-fastest national mark in the 400 IM.

Athletes that earned a first-place finish in any event at the SEC Swimming & Diving Championships were named to the All-SEC first team, and any athlete that was a runner-up in any event was a second-team selection. Freshman athletes that made a championship final in any event or were the highest-finishing freshman in an event were named to the SEC All-Freshman team.

MEN’S AWARDS
Swimmer of the Year – Conor Dwyer, Florida
Freshman Swimmer of the Year – Marcin Cieslak, Florida
Diver of the Year – Dan Mazzaferro, Auburn
Freshman Diver of the Year – Greg Ferrucci, Kentucky
Diving Coach of the Year – Jeff Shaffer, Auburn
Swimming Coach of the Year – John Trembley, Tennessee
Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Dan Mazzaferro, Auburn
Commissioner’s Trophy (High Scorer at SEC Championships) – Conor Dwyer, Florida, and Dan Mazzaferro, Auburn (57 points)

WOMEN’S AWARDS
Swimmer of the Year – Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, Auburn
Freshman Swimmer of the Year – Elizabeth Beisel, Florida
Diver of the Year – Monica Dodson, Florida
Freshman Diver of the Year – Paige McCleary, Alabama
Diving Coach of the Year – Donnie Craine, Florida
Swimming Coach of the Year – Jack Bauerle, Georgia
Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Taryn Zack, South Carolina
Commissioner’s Trophy – Morgan Scroggy, Georgia, and Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, Auburn (57 points)

ALL-SEC FIRST TEAM
MEN
Adam Brown, Auburn
Daniel Mazzaferro, Auburn
Marcelo Chierighini, Auburn
Chris Manning, Auburn
Karl Krug, Auburn
Stuart Ferguson, Auburn
Drew Modrov, Auburn
Kholton Norys, Auburn
Marco Loughran, Florida
Conor Dwyer, Florida
Marcin Cieslak, Florida
Brett Fraser, Florida
Balazs Gercsak, Florida
Sebastien Rousseau, Florida
Bill Cregar, Georgia
Mark Dylla, Georgia
Martin Grodzki, Georgia
Michael Wright, Tennessee
Ryan Harrison, Tennessee
Brad Craig, Tennessee

WOMEN
Emily Bos, Auburn
Lauren Norberg, Auburn
Olivia Scott, Auburn
Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, Auburn
Hannah Riordan, Auburn
Lindsey Norberg, Auburn
Caitlin Geary, Auburn
Monica Dodson, Florida
Elizabeth Beisel, Florida
Teresa Crippen, Florida
Morgan Scroggy, Georgia
Chelsea Nauta, Georgia
Melanie Margalis, Georgia
Allison Schmitt, Georgia
Shannon Vreeland, Georgia
Wendy Trott, Georgia
Jane Trepp, LSU
Taryn Zack, South Carolina
Amanda Rutqvist, South Carolina
Jennifer Connolly, Tennessee
Martina Moravcikova, Tennessee
Kelsey Floyd, Tennessee
Lindsay Gendron, Tennessee

ALL-SEC SECOND TEAM
MEN
Jared White, Auburn
George Klein, Auburn
Tony Cox, Auburn
Kyle Owens, Auburn
John Santeiu, Auburn
Bradley deBorde, Florida
Scott Sommer, Florida
Conor Signorin, Florida
Ryan Helms, Tennessee
Samuel Rairden, Tennessee
Michael Christy, Tennessee
Geoff Sanders, Tennessee

WOMEN
Vanessa Dantin, Auburn
Micah Lawrence, Auburn
Anna Aguero, Auburn
Shara Stafford, Florida
Jamie Bohunicky, Florida
Sarah Bateman, Florida
Emily Montesinos, Georgia
Megan Romano, Georgia
Jana Ruimerman, LSU
Amanda Kendall, LSU
Samantha Goates, LSU
Becca Stgermain, LSU
Aleksa Akerfelds, Tennessee

SEC ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
MEN
Devan Terry, UA
BJ Hornikel, UA
Alex Coci, UA
John Santeiu, AU
Zane Grothe, AU
Chris Manning, AU
Connor Signorin, UF
Marcin Cieslak, UF
Bradley deBorde, UF
Eric Solis, UF
Jameson Hill, UG
Will Freeman, UG
Greg Ferrucci, UK
Daniel Helm, LSU
Samuel Rairden, UT

WOMEN
Paige McCleary, UA
Kristel Vourna, UA
Kesha Naylor, AR
Emily Bos, AU
Olivia Scott, AU
Elizabeth Beisel, UF
Hilda Luthersdotti, UF
Alana Pazevic, UF
Patricia Regan, UF
Ann-Perry Blank, UG
Shannon Vreeland, UG
Melanie Margalis, UG
Torrey Busey, LSU
Carolyn Blalock, LSU
Rachael Schaffer, SC
Amanda Rutqvist, SC
Lindsay Gendron, UT
Lauren Solernou, UT