WINTHROP, Mass. – Simmons College's Kerry Fleming (Northampton, Mass.) was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week for the week of January 16-22, it was announced today by the league. The honor marks the second straight week that she has earned the award.
The GNAC's top weekly honor has been handed out to a Shark five times this season. Senior Miriam Swisher (Albuquerque, N.M.) received the accolade for the weeks of October 24-30 and November to December 4, while classmate Hannah Plourde (Westfield, Mass.) was the GNAC's top female swimming athlete for the week of November 14-20.
Fleming won all three individual events that she entered for the second straight week. The sophomore was the Sharks' top scorer in a double-dual meet vs. Western New England University and Saint Joseph's College (Maine) with 27 points on January 21. A graduate of Northampton High School, Fleming won the 50-yard backstroke by more than three seconds with a mark of 29.67 and took the 100-yard freestyle by more than four ticks with a time of 55.77. She also earned a win in the 50-yard butterfly with a time of 28.69.
Fleming has turned in 22 top-three finishes for the season, including 15 first-place efforts to rack up 216 points for the year in 10 different events. The second-year swimmer has also been a part of nine winning relay contingents for the Sharks. The Marketing Communications and Public Relations major has placed first in every dual meet this season and was the seventh-highest scorer at the GNAC Championships from December 3-4 with second-place showings in the 500 and 200-yard freestyle events as well as the 400-yard individual medley in addition to a third-place effort in the 100-yard freestyle. Fleming also helped Simmons set conference championship and Holmes Sports Center Natatorium records in the 400-yard medley and the 800-yard freestyle relay events to earn All-Conference honors for the second straight year.
For her career, Fleming has racked up 47 top-three placings, including 24 victories. She burst onto the collegiate scene last year as a four-time recipient of the GNAC's Rookie of the Week award. Fleming also finished second in the 500-yard freestyle at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association Championship during her rookie campaign in addition to finishing third in the 100 and 200-yard freestyle events at NEISDA.
Simmons is currently a perfect 11-0 in dual meet action this season for the best record in school history and will close out the dual meet season on Saturday, January 28 when it hosts Mount Holyoke College at 12:00 p.m. at the Holmes Sports Center Natatorium.