2013 All-SSC Men’s Swimming Team Announced
The 2013 All-Sunshine State Conference Men’s Swimming Team was announced Thursday, with Florida Southern’s Jeb Halfacre and Nova Southeastern’s Oskar Nordstrand named Co-Swimmers of the Year. Saint Leo’s Pawel Trenda was selected Freshman of the Year, and FSC’s Duncan Sherrard was tabbed Coach of the Year.
Voting for the SSC Swimmer, Freshman, and Coach of the Year was recently conducted among the league’s swimming coaches. The All-SSC Men’s Swimming Team was determined by individual points accumulated at the SSC Swimming Championship, which was conducted Feb. 13-16 at the Long Center in Clearwater, Fla. The top eight swimmers, based on points, were named All-SSC First Team, and the next eight swimmers were named All-SSC Second Team.
Earning All-SSC First Team recognition were: Matheus Assis (Saint Leo), Oskar Nordstrand (Nova Southeastern), Jeb Halfacre (Florida Southern), Luis Rojas (Florida Southern), Norbert Kovacs (Tampa), Miguel Ferreira (Florida Southern), Juan Tolosa (Florida Southern), and Oscar Aldabe (Nova Southeastern).
Named to the All-SSC Second Team were: Allan Gutierrez (Florida Southern), Pawel Trenda (Saint Leo), Florian Mehlan (Nova Southeastern), Cameron Chambers (Nova Southeastern), Zane Hranac (Tampa), Karl Burdis (Tampa), Joshua Werner (Tampa), and Robbie Swan (Florida Southern).
A senior from Gainesville, Fla., Halfacre picks up his third consecutive Men’s Swimmer of the Year award. He won the SSC Championship in both the 100-yard backstroke and 200 individual medley. Halfacre set a new SSC meet record in taking gold in the 200 IM with a mark of 1:47.97. He would later set the overall SSC and school record in the event by notching a time of 1:46.63 en route to a third-place finish at the NCAA DII Championships. Halfacre took the 100 backstroke at the SSC meet in 48.62, tying his own meet record in the event. He would finish third in the same race at the DII meet with a time of 47.70. Halfacre placed second in the 200 backstroke at the SSC Championship with a mark of 1:46.21. He was third at the DII meet in that same event. He also collected a national title in swimming the leadoff leg of the Moccasins’ 200 medley relay team that took gold at the Division II meet with an NCAA-record time of 1:27.21.
A senior from Stockholm, Sweden, Norstrand capped his collegiate career by winning a national championship in the 500-yard freestyle. He touched the wall in 4:23.55 to take top honors in the 500 free at the NCAA Division II Championships. He had also won gold in the same event at the SSC Championship with a mark of 4:24.71. Nordstrand additionally took first place in both the 1,000 and 1,650-yard freestyle events at the 2013 SSC Championship. He claimed the SSC’s 1,000 title in a meet-record time of 9:10.59. He would finish fourth in the same race at the Division II meet. Nordstrand collected the SSC title in the mile with an SSC overall and meet-record time of 15:31.00. He placed seventh in the event at the NCAA Championship.
In his debut season from Oswiecim, Poland, Trenda set new school records in six individual events and five relays. He won the 400 individual medley at the SSC Championship, touching the wall in a meet-record time of 3:52.96. Trenda would later set the overall SSC record in finishing third at the NCAA DII Championship with a time of 3:51.96 in the 400 IM. The newcomer also finished second at the SSC meet with a time of 1:48.42 in the 200 IM. He placed 12th at the NCAA Championship in the same event. Trenda also swam on the Lions’ 400 freestyle relay team that won the SSC Championship in a meet-record time of 2:57.97. In total, he scored in seven events at the Division II Championship, participating in four individual events and three relay races.
In his fourth season at the helm of the Florida Southern program, Sherrard wins SSC Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year after leading the Moccasins to their first SSC title. Sherrard’s squad amassed 940 points and rolled to a 160-point win over two-time defending conference champion Nova Southeastern. He also guided his team to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Division II Championships. All told, the Moccasin men’s swimmers took home 20 All-America honors, including 15 individual accolades and five relay awards.
2013 ALL-SUNSHINE STATE CONFERENCE MEN’S SWIMMING TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Matheus Assis, Saint Leo, Freshman
Oskar Nordstrand, Nova Southeastern, Senior
Jeb Halfacre, Florida Southern, Senior
Luis Rojas, Florida Southern, Sophomore
Norbert Kovacs, Tampa, Senior
Miguel Ferreira, Florida Southern, Senior
Juan Tolosa, Florida Southern, Freshman
Oscar Aldabe, Nova Southeastern, Junior
Co-Swimmer of the Year – Jeb Halfacre, Florida Southern
Co-Swimmer of the Year – Oskar Nordstrand, Nova Southeastern
Freshman of the Year – Pawel Trenda, Saint Leo
Coach of the Year – Duncan Sherrard, Florida Southern
SECOND TEAM
Allan Gutierrez, Florida Southern, Sophomore
Pawel Trenda, Saint Leo, Freshman
Florian Mehlan, Nova Southeastern, Junior
Cameron Chambers, Nova Southeastern, Junior
Zane Hranac, Tampa, Sophomore
Karl Burdis, Tampa, Junior
Joshua Werner, Tampa, Sophomore
Robbie Swan, Florida Southern, Junior