Miami Diver and Coach Earn MAC's Top Honors
2/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Feb. 24, 2009
OXFORD, Ohio -- Miami University's men's diving program swept top honors at last week's Mid-American Conference Championship, with RedHawk senior Chris Heaton (Centerville) being named Diver of the Year and his coach, KONG RONG LI, selected as Diving Coach of the Year.
Heaton was named a first-team All-MAC selection as was freshman diver Cameron Horner (Columbus). Second-team All-MAC honors were accorded to freshman JIMMY BERES (Columbus), junior MIKE CARROLL (Toledo), freshman Chris Gunnels (Chapel Hill, NC), senior Nick DuPuis (Atlanta, GA), sophomore Darin Smith (Bossier City, LA), and junior DAVE BROWN (Lake Orion, MI).
Heaton made MAC history last Friday night (February 20), winning the one-meter competition to become the first athlete in league history to capture eight individual diving titles. His first-place finish among league divers enabled him to sweep both the one- and three-meter diving competition each of his four seasons of competition at Miami (2006, '07, '08 and '09). In Miami history, only swimmers John Carroll, BILL MULLIKEN and JOHN RUSSELL earned more individual MAC titles than Heaton, winning nine apiece.
2009 All-MAC Men's Swimming and Diving Team
Individual Award Winners (selected by head coaches)
Swimmer of the Year: Derick Roe, Eastern Michigan
Diver of the Year: Chris Heaton, MIAMI
Diving Coach of the Year: KONG RONG LI, MIAMI
Swimming Coach of the Year: Peter Linn, Eastern Michigan, and Andy Bashor, Buffalo
First Team All-MAC (Individual event winners, then points scored at championships)
1. Chris Heaton, MIAMI (1-meter dive; 3-meter dive)
2. Dan Kish, Eastern Michigan (500 free, 200 free)
3. Don Ellison, Eastern Michigan (200 IM; 400 IM)
4. Derick Roe, Eastern Michigan (50 free; 100 free)
5. Ryan Fulkerson, Eastern Michigan (100 fly; 200 fly)
6. Scott Murphy, Eastern Michigan (200 breaststroke; 100 breaststroke)
7. Jake Sengren, Buffalo (100 backstroke)
8. Connor Vander Zalm, Buffalo (1650 free)
9. Zach Ruske, Buffalo (200 backstroke)
10. Matt Zavislak, Eastern Michigan (56)
11. Troy Estenan, Eastern Michigan (54)
12. CAMERON HRONER, MIAMI (53)
13. Jared Heine, Buffalo (52.5)
14. Matt Guinan, Eastern Michigan (51)
15. Mike McDowell, Buffalo (49)
Second Team All-MAC (based on points in individual events only)
16. JIMMY BERES, MIAMI (47)
17. Mitch Kellerman, Eastern Michigan (47)
18. Adam Wohl, Eastern Michigan (45)
19. Andrew Tamchyna, Buffalo (38)
20. Owen Grey, Eastern Michigan (37)
21. Dave Stefl, Eastern Michigan (34)
22. Ethan Crabtree, Eastern Michigan (33)
23. Scott Woster, Buffalo (33)
24. Chris Alberty, Eastern Michigan (32)
25. Michael Carroll, MIAMI (32)
26. Chris Gunnels, MIAMI (30)
27. Nick DuPuis, MIAMI (27)
28. Darin Smith, MIAMI (27)
29. Ben Battjes, Ball State (25)
30. DAVE BROWN, MIAMI (23)
31. Jake Sangren, Buffalo (23)
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Players Mentioned
