2013 All-SSC Women’s Swimming Team Announced
Florida Southern freshman Alli Crenshaw headlined the major award winners announced Thursday as part of the 2013 All-Sunshine State Conference Women’s Swimming Team. Crenshaw was named SSC Women’s Swimmer and Co-Freshman of the Year. Rollins’ Audrey Kula shared Freshman of the Year honors with Crenshaw, and Tampa’s Ed Brennan was selected 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 Women’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.
Named All-SSC First Team were: Lauren Chapple (Nova Southeastern), Kelsey Gouge (Florida Southern), Alli Crenshaw (Florida Southern), Alexandra Hipolito (Tampa), Lauren Reynolds (Florida Southern), Heather Glenday (Tampa), Kristen Zielinski (Nova Southeastern), and Stephanie Doran (Florida Southern).
Earning All-SSC Second Team honors were: Catherine Parker (Tampa), Thalie Carmigniani (Lynn), Erin Black (Nova Southeastern), Audrey Kula (Rollins), Ashley Bransford (Nova Southeastern), Erin Plachy (Tampa), Sara Akoubian (Nova Southeastern), Virginia Summer (Florida Southern), and Kristine Kassl (Tampa).
In her debut season out of Marietta, Ga., Crenshaw won the NCAA Division II national title in both the 1,000 and 1,650-yard freestyle. She opened the NCAA meet by winning the 1,000 with an SSC and school-record time of 9:57.29. She concluded the national championship by taking the 1,650 title in an SSC and school-record time of 16:42.58. Crenshaw had also won the 1,650 at the SSC Championship, posting a meet-record mark of 16:45.44. She additionally took gold at the SSC meet in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:51.41. She would go on to place fourth in the 500 freestyle at the NCAA meet. She placed third in the 200-yard freestyle at the SSC meet, touching the wall in 1:50.61. In her very first NCAA DII Championship performance, Crenshaw left the pool tied for the most individual points accumulated by a women’s swimmer. She gathered four individual All-America honors.
In her first season from Gainesville, Va., Kula also left her mark all over the Rollins record books and became the first women’s swimmer in school history to qualify for the NCAA Division II Championship. Kula won the 100-yard butterfly at the SSC Championship, coasting to the wall in a new meet and conference overall record time of 55.39. She also placed second at the conference meet in the 200 butterfly. She would finish fifth at the NCAA DII Championship in that same event, clocking an SSC overall record time of 2:02.30. Her fifth-place performance made her the first Rollins women’s swimmer to earn All-America distinction. Kula finished the season with seven new program records, rewriting four individual marks and combining on three relay records.
Brennan earns SSC Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year honors for the third time after leading his Spartans to their second SSC title in the three years that swimming has been an SSC-sponsored sport. UT also won the inaugural SSC women’s swimming crown in 2011. Brennan’s squad tallied 892 points at the 2013 SSC Championship to stave off the 2012 champs, Nova Southeastern, by 25 points. The Spartans participated in the NCAA Division II Championship for the 13th consecutive year, where they placed 13th. Six UT women’s swimmers earned All-America accolades at the meet. The Spartans won the national title in the 800 freestyle relay, clocking a time of 7:24.70.
2013 ALL-SUNSHINE STATE CONFERENCE WOMEN’S SWIMMING TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Lauren Chapple, Nova Southeastern, Sophomore
Kelsey Gouge, Florida Southern, Freshman
Alli Crenshaw, Florida Southern, Freshman
Alexandra Hipolito, Tampa, Junior
Lauren Reynolds, Florida Southern, Freshman
Heather Glenday, Tampa, Junior
Kristen Zielinski, Nova Southeastern, Freshman
Stephanie Doran, Florida Southern, Senior
Swimmer of the Year – Alli Crenshaw, Florida Southern
Co-Freshman of the Year – Alli Crenshaw, Florida Southern
Co-Freshman of the Year – Audrey Kula, Rollins
Coach of the Year – Ed Brennan, Tampa
SECOND TEAM
Catherine Parker, Tampa, Junior
Thalie Carmigniani, Lynn, Freshman
Erin Black, Nova Southeastern, Senior
Audrey Kula, Rollins, Freshman
Ashley Bransford, Nova Southeastern, Junior
Erin Plachy, Tampa, Sophomore
Sara Akoubian, Nova Southeastern, Junior
Virginia Summer, Florida Southern, Freshman
Krsitine Kassl, Tampa, Senior