Presenting the 2022 SSC Women’s Swimmer, Coach, and Freshman of the Year
MELBOURNE, Fla. - The Sunshine State Conference is pleased to announce the 2022 women's swimming individual awards. Nova Southeastern University's Celina Marquez and Ben Hewitt have been selected as Swimmer of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively. Lynn University’s Luna Mertins is tabbed Freshman of the Year.
SSC Swimmer, Freshman, and Coach of the Year awards are selected by a vote of the league's swimming coaches following the shortened NCAA Division II National Championship. All-SSC swimmers were selected earlier this season following the conference championship meet held February 16-20 at the Long Center in Clearwater.
2022 SSC Women's Swimming All-Conference Awards
Marquez earns Swimmer of the Year accolades after winning one individual and two relay national championships for NSU in 2022. Marquez is the fifth Shark named Swimmer of the Year, first since 2018-19
1. Her NCAA meet performance also lifted NSU to a third-place finish, which ties the program and league records for best team finish
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The junior from Santa Tecla, El Salvador, competed in four individual events and a pair of relays at the 2022 Division II NCAA Championship. Individually, she won the 200 Back (1:55.79) and finished runner-up in the 100 Back (53.05) and 200 IM (1:59.46). She also finished fourth in the 100 Fly (53.38). Marquez set the SSC overall record in the 100 Back (52.42) and the SSC Championship and overall record in the 200 Back (1:54.54). Both times were the fastest in NCAA DII in 2021-22. As a relay swimmer, she led NSU to national championship gold in the 200 Medley Relay (1:38.83) and 400 Medley Relay (3:36.23), setting SSC overall records in the process.
Mertins becomes the third Fighting Knight to earn SSC Women's Swimming Freshman of the Year honors
3. The product of Friedberg, Germany swam four individual events at the 2022 Division II NCAA Championship, winning the 100 Fly (52.19). She finished as national runner-up in the 200 Fly (1:57.59) and 200 Back (1:56.52). Additionally, Mertins finished sixth in the 50 Free (22.84). She set the SSC overall records this year in the 100 Fly and 200 Fly with her NCAA performances. Mertins also set the SSC meet record in the 100 Fly (53.45).
SSC Records / Top Times | Women's Swimmers and Coaches of the Year
Hewitt repeats as SSC Women's Swimming Coach of the Year, earning the award for a league-leading fourth time
4. He piloted NSU to a sixth conference championship and a third-place NCAA finish. With Hewitt's guidance, nine swimmers and five relay teams earned passage to the NCAA championship, seven women were named to All-SSC teams, and NSU’s program claimed SSC Swimmer of the Year and 39 CSCAA All-America honors. This season NSU recorded 12 SSC top times, broke eight SSC meet records, and eclipsed six overall league records.
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1 Previous NSU Swimmers of the Year: Erin Black (2011-12), Emma Wahlstrom (2016-17), Courtney DeVeny (2017-18), Emma Sundstedt (2018-19)
2 Nova Southeastern - Third Place - 2018
3 Previous Lynn Freshmen of the Year: Catalina Berraud-Galea (2015-16), Ewa Osiniak (2019-20)
4 Four awards tie Hewitt with Tampa’s Ed Brennan. Hewitt also won in 2016-17, 2017-18, 2019-20