DANBURY, Conn./WINTHROP, Mass. – Simmons College's Miriam Swisher (Albuquerque, N.M.) was named the Women's Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week by both the Eastern College Athletic Conference and the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week for the week of February 9-15, it was announced.
Swisher has earned the ECAC New England honor twice, while being selected by the GNAC a conference-high seven times.
The award marks the 10th straight reporting period that the Sharks have earned the award. Senior Hillary Wong (Quincy, Mass.) was named for the week of October 20-26, while Swisher was tabbed for the weeks of October 27 to November 2, November 3-9, November 10-16, December 1-7, January 12-18 and January 26 to February 1. Sophomore Shylee Stewart (Eastham, Mass.) has been named twice, for the weeks of January 5-11 and January 19-25. Swisher was also tabbed by the ECAC for the week of December 1-7.
The sophomore placed second in a pair of individual events at the 2015 New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association Championships and helped Simmons set two records in relay events, while posting top three finishes in three relay races. Swisher shattered the school record in the 200-yard freestyle with a mark of 1:55.15, while finishing second in the 50-freestyle with a time of 24.18. The La Cueva High School product swam the lead leg in the 200-yard medley relay and set a school record with a 50-yard backstroke split of 27.35 as part of a school relay-record time of 1:48.73 to place third in the event. She swam the lead in the 400-medley relay as well to spark a new school mark of 3:57.36 for a third-place showing and anchored the Sharks' 200-yard freestyle relay's second-place effort with a time of 1:39.31.
Swisher has been dominant this season, winning 31 of 36 individual events that she has entered, including all six 100-yard freestyle races she's competed in. The Physical Therapy major was the top scorer for the Sharks at the GNAC Championship on December 6-7 with 36 points after winning all four events that she entered, while setting three GNAC and two pool records. The sophomore won the 50-yard freestyle (24.40), 200-freestyle with a GNAC record (1:57.57) and set GNAC, pool and school records in the 50-backstroke (27.36) and the 100-freestyle (51.75), while also making the NCAA qualifier 'B' cut. In addition, she was also a part of Simmons' 400-medley relay team that set a GNAC record with a time of 4:10.25 and helped the Sharks win the 200-free relay as well with a mark of 1:42.64.
The second-year swimmer has been exceptional throughout her career at Simmons, winning 55 of 71 individual events, including 17 of 21 backstroke races, ranging from the 50 to the 200, while winning 11 of 14 100-yard freestyle events. Swisher also owns five individual school records and has been part of five team relay marks, while owning four conference standards and four Holmes Sports Center Natatorium records.
The Sharks closed out their dual-meet results this season by winning five straight for a 10-2 record to tie the school standard for victories in a campaign. They won their 11th straight GNAC Championship earlier in the season and will return to action on Friday, February 27 when they travel to Pittsburgh, Pa. to vie for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championship, hosted by University of Pittsburgh.