Regan Smith Earns Pair of Pac-12 Postseason Awards

Photo Courtesy: Pac-12 Conference

Regan Smith Earns Pair of Pac-12 Postseason Awards

Stanford freshman Regan Smith took home two Pac-12 Postseason Awards announced on Monday, named the conference’s Swimmer of the Tear and Freshman of the Year.

Stanford’s Greg Meehan was named the Coach of the Year for the fifth time and first since 2018.

Arizona dominated the diving honors, thanks to Diver of the Year Delaney Schnell and coach Dwight Dumais, Schnell repeating in her honor. Utah freshman Holly Waxman was named the top rookie.

Smith joins elite company as just the fifth swimmer to be named Pac-12 Swimmer and Freshman of the Year simultaneously. The others are Stanford’s Ella Eastin (2016) and Caroline Bruce (2005), and California’s Elizabeth Pelton (2013) and Natalie Coughlin (2001).

Pac-12 Postseason Awards Photo Courtesy: Pac-12 Athletics

The Olympian from Lakeville, Minn., led Stanford to its 24th Pac-12 title. The Cardinal finished third at NCAAs.

She scored 238.5 points in the postseason, at the conference championships and NCAAs. At Pac-12s, Smith won the 100 backstroke – in a conference record 49.50 – and 200 butterfly and swam on four winning relays. She set the fastest time in the nation in the 200 fly (1:50.99) and went on to win the 200 back at NCAAs in 1:47.76. In addition to her gold medal in the 200 back, Smith was the runner-up in the 100 back, 200 fly and 400 free relay. Smith won silver in the 200 fly and bronze in the 100 back at the Tokyo Olympics last summer.

Meehan adds another Coach of the Year Accolade to his wins in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. It coincides with his fifth Pac-12 title in charge, toppling defending champion Cal by a massive margin. The Cardinal scored 1,671.5 points at Pac-12s, winning all five relays and 12 of 18 total events. The third-place showing at NCAAs was the seventh top-three result in 10 seasons in charge for the United States women’s head coach at the Tokyo Olympics.

Schnell is the Pac-12 Diver of the year again, off a summer in which she won silver in the 10-meter synchro at the Tokyo Olympics. The senior won the 1-meter and platform events at Pac-12s for the second consecutive season, to go with a runner-up result on 3-meter to earn Diver of the Meet recognition. She finished second on platform at NCAAs, tied for fourth on 3-meter and fifth on 1-meter.

Dumais earned his first Coach of the Year nod in his fifth season with the Wildcats on the power of Schnell’s podium finishes. The Wildcats scored 161 points at Pac-12s.

Waxman is the first Utah diver to win the Freshman of the Year award. She placed sixth at Pac-12s on 1-meter and ninth on platform, the top rookie in each. The native of Leeds, England, competed at NCAAs in both springboard events, finishing 21st on 1-meter and 38th on 3-meter.

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