Owl Swimmers Honored At Annual Postseason Dinner
4/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
April 26, 2010
Led by sophomore Shelby Bottoms' as the recipient of 2010 Catherine Hannah Award as the Rice Swimmer of the Year, Owl head swim coach Seth Huston announced the team's 2010 award winners at the program's annual postseason banquet on Monday night (April 26).
Joining Bottoms on the swim team's award list for 2010 were sophomore Alex O'Brien as the Most Improved swimmer, freshman Danielle Spence as the Rookie of the Year and junior Karen Gerken as the winner of the Kathryn E. Scholl True Blue Spirit Award.
Bottoms had sensational and consistent sophomore season for the Owls, twice being named the C-USA Swimmer of the Week (Nov. 10 and Jan. 6). The Houston native from nearby Lamar High School was Rice's top individual performer, and perhaps the team's best all-around swimmer, as the Owl leader in the 200-individual medley (2:01.97). Bottoms set the Rice pool records in the 200-freestyle (1:52.92) and 200-IM (2:07.41) at the school's new on-campus swim-center. She was also second on the squad in both the 100-free (51.02) and rugged 400-IM (4:21.73). Bottoms proved to be a valuable competitor in relays, earning distinction as one of only two Owls to swim on all five of the school's top relay teams this season.
Conference USA would certainly agree with O'Brien as the Owls' Most Improved Swimmer. The distance specialist from St. Paul, Minn., won the 2010 C-USA individual championship in the mile with the fourth-fastest Rice time (16:43.95) in school history. She also had the Blue & Gray's best times in both the 200-breaststroke (2:17.31) and 400-IM (4:20.99) and set the facility record in the 1,000-freestyle at the Owls' new on-campus swim center.
Karen Gerken won the C-USA individual championship in the 500-freestyle (4:52.13), but her selection for the Scholl True Blue Spirit Award goes beyond excellence in the pool. The award is presented to the Owl who has shown dedication, discipline and leadership, but most importantly, has been an inspiration to her teammates with her consistent hard-work and commitment to the team concept. There is no doubt that the Austin native is "True Blue" as both of her parents were varsity Rice swimmers.
True freshman Danielle Spence was the Owls' 2010 Rookie of the Year. The standout from San Diego had a sensational debut season at the Division I level, particularly at the C-USA meet. She swam the fastest 500-freestyle in the conference last season, a 4:50.00 that is also the fifth-best mark in Rice history. At the C-USA meet Spence scored big for the team in the mile and in the championship final of the 200-freestyle.
At the dinner the Rice coaches officially presented the six (6) C-USA Swimmer of the Week Awards different Owls won over the course of the season. Rice's three C-USA All-Academic honorees, Gerken, O'Brien and senior Angela Wo were also recognized for their achievements in the classroom. It was noted that of the seven All-Academic honorees the conference awarded, three were from Rice.
The awards didn't stop there, however. At the end of the function the program's three seniors, Wo, Pam Zelnick and Megan Land, passed out their version of accolades with the program's annual "Senior Paper Plate Awards." No Owl underclassman was spared from the senior-razz, but a good time was had as the soon-to-be Rice grads made their good-natured, final parting jabs at their teammates.
As a team the Rice swimmers finished third at the 2010 C-USA Championships. The Owls and coach Huston, himself the 2010 C-USA Coach of the Year, look forward to training in the new Aquatics Center pool from the start of the 2010-2011 swim season.
Players Mentioned
