The 2019 Honda Sport Award for Swimming & Diving nominees have been announced: Lilly King of Indiana, Mallory Comerford of Louisville, Abbey Weitzeil of Cal, and Beata Nelson of Wisconsin.
The award honors the best female swimmer or diver of the preceding NCAA season, and the nominees are chosen by a panel of coaches from the CSCAA.
The winner will move on to contend with the winners of the 11 other sports for Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the Honda Cup, which has been won by a swimmer in three of the last four years.
Missy Franklin won in 2015, and then former Stanford teammates Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.
This will be King’s fourth consecutive nomination for the swimming-specific award, though she’s still looking for her first win. For the other three, this is their first time being nominated.
Accomplishments of this year’s nominees:
- Lilly King, Senior, Indiana – King continued her impeccable run in her final NCAA Championship meet, sweeping the 100 and 200 breaststroke for the fourth consecutive time. This made her the first woman to ever do so, and just the second to sweep two distances in one single stroke. She broke her NCAA and American 100 breast record yet again in 55.73 and was also a key leg in leading the Hoosier women to a second and fourth place finish respectively in the 400 and 200 medley relay.
- Mallory Comerford, Senior, Louisville – Comerford closed out her collegiate career in style, winning the 200 free for the third consecutive year and also claiming the 100 for the first time. She was also voted ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Year for the third straight time.
- Abbey Weitzeil, Junior, Cal – Weitzeil won her first individual National title as a junior in the 50 free, producing a new all-time record in 21.02. She also anchored three winning relays for Cal (200 free, 400 medley, 400 free), with the final one being done with a hyperextended elbow that she dealt with on the final day of competition. In addition to anchoring the relay, she also placed fourth in the individual 100 freestyle with the injury.
- Beata Nelson, Junior, Wisconsin – Nelson had an unbelievable showing at the NCAA Championships, sweeping her individual events (100 back, 200 back, 200 IM). She set a new American and NCAA Record in the 100 back, an NCAA Record in the 200 back, and was just 0.13 from a new all-time mark in the 200 IM. She also lowered the 100 back record earlier in the season back in November.