UB Women's Swimming and Diving Announces Awards
5/7/2013 12:00:00 AM | Swimming and Diving
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women's swimming and diving squad announced its team awards for the 2013 season. Head coach Andy Bashor and his staff made the following presentations: Jessica Powers was named as Rookie of the Year; Rachael Ragen earned the Most Improved Award; Emma Miller won the Leadership Award and Mallory Morrell was selected as the Most Valuable Performer.
Powers earned All-MAC First Team honors at the league championships as she finished second in the 200-yard freestyle in a lifetime-best mark of 1:48.27. She also set the school record in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 16:24.96 to place third overall and also set the school record for the 1,000-yard distance (9:57.37) in the race. Powers also placed third in the 500-yard freestyle final in a season-best 4:47.97 and swam the opening leg of UB's victorious 800-yard freestyle relay.
Ragen set the school record in the 200-yard butterfly finals at the MAC Championships, winning the consolation heat (to place ninth overall) in 2:02.16 breaking the previous mark of 2:02.53 set by Dani Adank in 2011. Ragen also posted an eighth-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly championship final with a 56.10 clocking. Ragen set a season-best time of 54.98 in the preliminary heat earlier in the day. She also placed 21st overall in the 50-yard freestyle setting a season-best time of 24.01.
Miller set season-best times in all three of her individual races at the MAC Championships. She scored for the Bulls in the 1,650-yard freestyle as she placed 16th overall in the timed final in 17:26.30. She also set season-bests in the 500-yard freestyle (5:00.40) to place 20th and the 200-yard freestyle (1:53.52) where she finished 28th.
Morrell finished a memorable season as the first UB Division I women's swimmer to attain NCAA Honorable Mention honors as she finished 13th in the 50-yard freestyle in 22.46 at the national meet in Indianapolis. Morrell won the MAC title in the 50-yard freestyle, setting league and school records of 22.24 and was part of UB's winning 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay teams while also finishing second in the 100-yard freestyle (season best 49.47). At the NCAA Championships, she also finished 59th in the 100-yard freestyle (50.17). Additionally, she was named to the Academic All-MAC team.
The Bulls finished fifth of eight teams at the Mid-American Conference Championships hosted at UB's Alumni Arena Natatorium.
