The dynasty continued in 2015-16 as the Emory University women's swimming & diving team won its seventh consecutive NCAA Division III Championship and the ninth overall in program history.
The Eagles (560 points) edged out second place Kenyon University (476) with a NCAA Championship meet performance for the ages. Emory, as a team, tied the program record with six event national championships including the first time an Eagles squad went a perfect 5-for-5 in the relay events. Emory also set two school records and one Division III national record, had 24 All-America winners: 19 individuals and five relays and another 15 All-America Honorable Mention certificates.
Winning national titles for the Eagles were the 200 Free Relay team (freshman Fiona Muir, junior Marcela Sanchez-Aizcorbe, freshman Meg Tayor, junior Marissa Bergh) in a Division III record-setting time of 1:31.42; the 200 Medley Relay team (sophomore Cindy Cheng, junior Annelise Kowalsky, Sanchez-Aizcorbe and Muir), winning in a school record time of 1:40.77; the 400 Free Relay team (Muir, Sanchez-Aizcorbe, Taylor, Bergh); the 400 Medley Relay team (Cheng, Kowalsky, Sanchez-Aizcorbe, Bergh) and the 800 Free Relay team (sophomore Rebecca Upton, Cheng, Bergh, sophomore Julia Wawer) in a school record-setting time of 7:18.50. Wawer captured the lone individual championship for Emory, winning the 200 Free with a time of 1:48.88.
Bergh and Sanchez-Aizcorbe's four national championships a piece marks the first time an Emory swimmer has won four national titles in a single NCAA Championship meet since April Whitley in 2011 and just the fourth and fifth time it has ever been done in school history.
Bergh topped the team with six All-American certificates, adding All-America honors in the 50 and 100 Free, pushing her career total to 15, which ranks tied for eighth most on the Emory all-time list. Kowalsky, Sanchez-Aizcorbe and Muir each added five All-America certificates of their own.
Head Coach Jon Howell was named the Collegiate Swimmers Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Women's Swimming Coach of the Year after the conclusion of the meet for the fifth time in his career.
Earlier in the season, the Eagles scored 2,015 team points, outscoring second place Washington University by 685.5 to claim their 18th consecutive University Athletic Association championship and the 24th in program history. Emory totaled 15 UAA event titles and 27 individual and five relay all-UAA finishes.
Cheng was named the Women's Swimmer of the Year after she won individual association championships in the 200 Freestyle (1:49.59 – UAA Record) and 200 Backstroke (1:59.46 - UAA Record). Cheng was also part of the UAA Championship relay teams in the 800 Freestyle (7:28.54 – UAA Record) and 400 Freestyle (3:22.71 – UAA Record).
Muir was selected as the Women's Rookie of the Year after she claimed individual event championships in the 50 Freestyle (23.29 – UAA Record), 100 Freestyle (50.14 - UAA Record) and earned All-UAA honors in the 100 Butterfly (55.25). Muir was also part of four UAA Championship Relay teams in the 200 Freestyle (1:33.19 – UAA Record), 400 Medley (3:45.73), 200 Medley (1:43.79) and the 400 Freestyle (3:22.71 – UAA Record).
In addition, Howell and assistants Cindy Fontana, Chris Marshall, John Petroff and Ross Spock were named the UAA Women's Coaching Staff of the Year for the third straight year and ninth time in the program's history.
Emory finished the dual meet portion of their schedule with a 5-3 record with victories over top Division II programs Florida Southern, West Florida and Delta State. All three defeats came from Division I opponents including eventual Division I team champion, the University of Georgia.
In other championship style meets during the season, the Eagles placed second in both the Miami Invitational in Oxford, OH (out of six schools) and at the SCAD Invitational in Savannah, GA (out of eight teams).
In addition to their success in the pool during the 2015-16 season, three Eagles were recognized for their work in the classroom this season. Seniors Carolyn Bonfield and Elizabeth Aronoff were recipients of the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate scholarship while Aronoff and Sanchez-Aizcorbe were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. Aronoff was selected to the First Team for the second straight year and the third time overall after being named to the Second Team as a sophomore while Sanchez-Aizcorbe was named to the Second Team for her first career Academic All-America honor.
The Eagles earned the following honors during the 2015-16 season:
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NCAA Division III Champion |
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San Ramon, CA (Dougherty Valley) |
200 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay |
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Orlando, FL (Dr. Phillips) |
200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay, 800 Free Relay |
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Excelsior, MN (Int'l School of Minnesota) |
200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay |
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Great Falls, VA (Langley) |
200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay |
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Nacogdoches, TX (Nacogdoches) |
200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay, 400 Free Relay |
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Greenville, IN (Floyd Central) |
200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay |
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Grapevine, TX (Carroll Senior) |
800 Free Relay |
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Vernon Hills, IL (Adlai E. Stevenson) |
200 Free, 800 Free Relay |
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Collegiate Swimmers Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Coach of the Year |
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Jon Howell |
Head Coach |
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All-America (Top-Eight Finisher at NCAA Division III Championships) |
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Shaker Heights, OH (Hawken School) |
200 Breast (4th) |
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San Ramon, CA (Dougherty Valley) |
200 Free Relay (1st), 400 Medley Relay (1st), 400 Free Relay (1st), 800 Free Relay (1st), 50 Free (6th), 100 Free (8th) |
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Novato, CA (San Marin) |
200 Fly (8th) |
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Orlando, FL (Dr. Phillips) |
200 Medley Relay (1st), 400 Medley Relay (1st), 800 Free Relay (1st), 100 Back (4th), 200 Free (6th) |
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Chesterfield, MO (Marquette HS) |
100 Breast (7th) |
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Excelsior, MN (Int'l School of Minnesota) |
200 Medley Relay (1st), 400 Medley Relay (1st), 100 Breast (5th), 200 Breast (5th), 200 IM (6th) |
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Great Falls, VA (Langley) |
200 Medley Relay (1st), 200 Free Relay (1st), 400 Free Relay (1st), 50 Free (2nd), 100 Free (2nd) |
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Pymble, NSW, Australia (Pymble Ladies' College) |
400 IM (6th) |
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Nacogdoches, TX (Nacogdoches) |
200 Medley Relay (1st), 200 Free Relay (1st), 400 Medley Relay (1st), 400 Free Relay (1st), 100 Fly (7th) |
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Greenville, IN (Floyd Central) |
200 Free Relay (1st), 400 Free Relay (1st) |
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Enfield, NH (Lebanon) |
100 Back (5th) |
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Grapevine, TX (Carroll Senior) |
800 Free Relay (1st), 500 Free (2nd), 1,650 Free (2nd), 200 Fly (3rd) |
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Vernon Hills, IL (Adlai E. Stevenson) |
200 Free (1st), 800 Free Relay (1st) |
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All-America Honorable Mention (Finished 9th – 16th at NCAA Division III Championships) |
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Shaker Heights, OH (Hawken School) |
100 Breast (9th) |
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San Ramon, CA (Dougherty Valley) |
200 Free (16th) |
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Novato, CA (San Marin) |
200 Breast (13th), 100 Fly (14th) |
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Chesterfield, MO (Marquette HS) |
200 Breast (9th) |
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Lawrence, KS (Bishop Seabury) |
500 Free (9th) |
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Richmond, TX (Foster) |
1,650 Free (14th) |
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Cary, NC (Panther Creek) |
100 Back (11th) |
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Great Falls, VA (Langley) |
100 Fly (16th) |
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Pymble, NSW, Australia (Pymble Ladies' College) |
1,650 Free (9th), 200 IM (10th) |
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Nacogdoches, TX (Nacogdoches) |
100 Free (10th), 50 Free (13th) |
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Enfield, NH (Lebanon) |
200 Back (10th) |
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Vernon Hills, IL (Adlai E. Stevenson) |
500 Free (10th) |
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University Athletic Association Swimmer of the Year |
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Orlando, FL (Dr. Phillips) |
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UAA Rookie of the Year |
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Great Falls, VA (Langley) |
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UAA Coaching Staff of the Year |
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Jon Howell |
Head Coach |
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Cindy Fontana, Chris Marshall, John Petroff & Ross Spock |
Assistant Coaches |
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UAA Champion |
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Shaker Heights, OH (Hawken School) |
400 Medley Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 100 Breast, 200 Breast |
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Savannah, GA (H.V. Jenkins) |
800 Free Relay |
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Novato, CA (San Marin) |
200 Medley Relay, 100 Fly |
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Orlando, FL (Dr. Phillips) |
200 Free, 800 Free Relay, 200 Back, 400 Free Relay |
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Lawrence, KS (Bishop Seabury) |
400 IM |
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Cary, NC (Panther Creek) |
200 Free Relay |
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Great Falls, VA (Langley) |
200 Free Relay, 50 Free, 400 Medley Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 100 Free, 400 Free Relay |
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San Rafael, CA (Bronson School) |
800 Free Relay |
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Nacogdoches, TX (Nacogdoches) |
200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay |
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Greenville, IN (Floyd Central) |
200 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay, 800 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay |
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Enfield, NH (Lebanon) |
400 Medley Relay, 200 Medley Relay |
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Grapevine, TX (Carroll Senior) |
500 Free, 1,650 Free |
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All-UAA (Top-Three Finisher at UAA Championships) |
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Shaker Heights, OH (Hawken School) |
400 Medley Relay (1st), 200 Medley Relay (1st), 100 Breast (1st), 200 Breast (1st) |
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Savannah, GA (H.V. Jenkins) |
800 Free Relay (1st) |
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Novato, CA (San Marin) |
200 Medley Relay (1st), 100 Fly (1st), 200 Fly (2nd) |
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Orlando, FL (Dr. Phillips) |
200 Free (1st), 800 Free Relay (1st), 200 Back (1st), 400 Free Relay (1st) |
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Chesterfield, MO (Marquette HS) |
200 IM (2nd), 200 Breast (2nd), 100 Breast (3rd) |
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Lawrence, KS (Bishop Seabury) |
400 IM (1st) |
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Richmond, TX (Foster) |
1,650 Free (3rd) |
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Cary, NC (Panther Creek) |
200 Free Relay (1st), 100 Back (2nd), 50 Free (3rd) |
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Great Falls, VA (Langley) |
200 Free Relay (1st), 50 Free (1st), 400 Medley Relay (1st), 200 Medley Relay (1st), 100 Free (1st), 400 Free Relay (1st), 100 Fly (2nd) |
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Madison, WI (West) |
1-meter dive (2nd), 3-meter dive (2nd) |
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San Rafael, CA (Bronson School) |
800 Free Relay (1st), 500 Free (3rd) |
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Nacogdoches, TX (Nacogdoches) |
200 Free Relay (1st), 400 Free Relay (1st), 100 Free (2nd) |
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Greenville, IN (Floyd Central) |
200 Free Relay (1st), 400 Medley Relay (1st), 800 Free Relay (1st), 400 Free Relay (1st), 50 Free (2nd), (200 Free (3rd), 100 Free (3rd) |
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Enfield, NH (Lebanon) |
400 Medley Relay (1st), 200 Medley Relay (1st), 200 Back (3rd) |
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Grapevine, TX (Carroll Senior) |
500 Free (1st), 1,650 Free (1st), 400 IM (2nd) |
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CoSIDA Academic All-America At-Large |
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Shaker Heights, OH (Hawken School) |
First Team |
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Nacogdoches, TX (Nacogdoches) |
Second Team |
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CoSIDA Academic All-District At-Large |
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Shaker Heights, OH (Hawken School) |
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Nacogdoches, TX (Nacogdoches) |
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NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship |
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Shaker Heights, OH (Hawken School) |
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Savannah, GA (H.V. Jenkins) |
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UAA Athletes of the Week |
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San Ramon, CA (Dougherty Valley) |
Mar. 21st |
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Orlando, FL (Dr. Phillips) |
Oct. 5th, Feb. 22nd |
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Excelsior, MN (Int'l School of Minnesota) |
Oct. 26th, Nov. 16th |
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Madison, WI (West) |
Oct. 26th, Nov. 23rd, Feb. 29th |
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Great Falls, VA (Langley) |
Dec. 7th |
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Enfield, NH (Lebanon) |
Feb. 1st |
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Grapevine, TX (Carroll Senior) |
Feb. 23rd |
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Vernon Hills, IL (Aldai E. Stevenson) |
Jan. 25th |
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The following were the top marks by Emory swimmers and divers during the 2015-16 season:
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50 Free |
22.81 |
NCAA Championships |
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100 Free |
49.83 |
NCAA Championships |
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200 Free |
1:48.88 |
NCAA Championships |
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500 Free |
4:48.64 |
NCAA Championships |
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1000 Free |
10:25.33 |
vs. Florida Southern |
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1650 Free |
16:39.90 |
NCAA Championships |
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100 Back |
54.74 *E |
NCAA Championships |
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200 Back |
1:59.46 |
NCAA Championships |
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100 Breast |
1:02.82 |
NCAA Championships |
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200 Breast |
2:15.67 |
UAA Championships |
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100 Fly |
55.20 |
UAA Championships |
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200 Fly |
2:01.30 |
NCAA Championships |
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200 IM |
2:03.18 |
UAA Championships |
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400 IM |
4:24.20 |
NCAA Championships |
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1-Meter 6 Dives |
299.40 |
vs. Georgia Tech |
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3-Meter 6 Dives |
266.33 |
vs. Birmingham-Southern |
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1-Meter 11 Dives |
410.65 |
UAA Championships |
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3-Meter 11 Dives |
435.85 |
UAA Championships |
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200 Free Relay |
Fiona Muir, Marcela Sanchez-Aizcorbe, Meg Taylor, Marissa Bergh |
1:31.42 *N *E |
NCAA Championships |
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200 Medley Relay |
Cindy Cheng, Annelise Kowalsky, Marcela Sanchez-Aizcorbe, Fiona Muir |
1:40.77 *E |
NCAA Championships |
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400 Free Relay |
Fiona Muir, Marcela Sanchez-Aizcorbe, Meg Taylor, Marissa Bergh |
3:21.37 |
NCAA Championships |
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400 Medley Relay |
Cindy Cheng, Annelise Kowalsky, Marcela Sanchez-Aizcorbe, Marissa Bergh |
3:42.76 |
NCAA Championships |
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800 Free Relay |
7:18.50 *E |
NCAA Championships |
*N – Indicates National Record *E - Indicates Emory Record