WINTHROP, Mass. – Simmons University's Sara Manjikian (Belmont, Mass.) was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week for the week of October 21-27, it was announced today by the league. 

She earns the award for the second time in her career after being tabbed for the week of November 5-11 last year. In addition, she becomes the second Shark in as many weeks to earn the weekly accolade after senior Aine Scholand (Albuquerque, N.M.) was selected last week.   

The junior won both of her events on the diving board and posted qualifying scores for February's New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association Championship as well. A graduate of Belmont High School, Manjikian received multiple scores of 7.0 and 7.5 on both boards during the meet. The Nursing major topped the field by over 37 points to earn a victory on the one-meter board with a score of 209.40 and later added a win on the three-meter board with a tally of 200.30 points to win by nearly 15 points and contribute to the team's 220-77 victory over visiting Westfield State University on October 26. Manjikian was one of just three competitors to earn multiple victories for Simmons in the team's first meet with diving this season. 

Manjikian has earned GNAC All-Conference honors in each of her first two seasons at the Fenway School after placing first on the three-meter board in both years at the conference championship meet. She currently holds the GNAC and school record on the three-meter board for an 11-dive set and also owns the school mark on the three-meter board for a six-dive set as well. In addition, Manjikian earned All-NEISDA status last season. 

The Sharks are currently 1-1 on the season and return to the water on Friday, November 1 when they travel to Worcester, Mass. to take on host Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Brandeis University, Smith College and Babson College in a quad-dual meet at 6:30 p.m.