WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University swimming & diving team held its annual awards banquet earlier this spring, celebrating the successes of the 2018-19 season. The team's 11 seniors reflected on their experiences over the past four years on the Hilltop and the squad's accomplishments, both in and out of the pool, were recognized, but the highlight of the event was the announcing of the team awards.
 
Rev. Frank L. Fadner S.J. Most Valuable Performer – Cristina Barrett / Drew Carbone
Barrett was one of Georgetown's most consistent scorers as a junior, continuously finishing among the top three in the distance events. She earned All-BIG EAST honors in both the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyles as she finished second in both events at the 2019 BIG EAST Championships. She swam the race of her career in the 500-yard freestyle final, finishing with a GU record time of 4:50.85. She broke away from a pack late in the race and nearly caught up to the leader, pulling to within a half body length. Barrett lowered her own record in the 1,650-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 16:42.33 to again finish second.
 
Carbone had a monster sophomore season, earning the BIG EAST Championships' Most Outstanding Swimmer for the second-consecutive season. He earned All-BIG EAST honors in seven different events, including winning gold medals in both backstroke events, the 200-yard IM and the 800-yard freestyle relay. Carbone broke three individual program records, including the 200-yard backstroke twice, at the 2019 BIG EAST Championships, and helped the Hoyas break three more records in relay events. In December, Carbone qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials in both the 100- and 200-meter backstroke at the U.S. Winter National Championships.
 
Freshmen of the Year – Grace Chen / Michael Wheeler
Chen earned All-BIG EAST honors in the 100-yard backstroke and the 400-yard medley relay. Swimming in her first career BIG EAST Championships, Chen stormed back over the final 50 yards of the 100-yard backstroke to touch the wall in a Georgetown-record 55.05 seconds and claim a silver medal. She also swam the opening leg of the 400-yard medley relay, helping lead the Hoyas to a third-place finish.
 
Wheeler was a four-time All-BIG EAST honoree in his first season on the Hilltop, including winning gold in the 1,650-yard freestyle where he cruised to victory by more than 24 seconds. He swam the second leg of Georgetown's record-setting 800-yard freestyle relay which shattered the previous mark by nearly three seconds. Wheeler also finished second in the 500-yard freestyle, finishing just .12 seconds behind teammate Brett Sherman and was third in the 200-yard freestyle.
 
John "Jake" Hengstler Most Improved Performer – Megan Smith / Nathaniel Goldfarb
Smith became a consistent scorer for the Hoyas as a sophomore. After not qualifying for an A final as a freshman, she reached the final eight in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke at the 2019 BIG EAST Championships, finishing sixth and fifth, respectively. She earned All-BIG EAST recognition in the 400-yard medley relay as she swam the breaststroke leg to help the Hoyas grab bronze. 
 
Goldfarb had a breakout season as a sophomore this past year. After finishing eighth in both breaststroke events as a freshman at the BIG EAST Championships, he improved to a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke this season. In the 100-yard breaststroke, Goldfarb recorded a time of 55.21 seconds in the morning prelims to break the program record by more than a second before he reset that mark with a 55.06 in the finals to place third and earn All-BIG EAST honors. He also earned an all-conference selection in the 400-yard medley relay, helping lead the Hoyas to a second-place finish.
 
Susan Kohl-Malone Female Coaches Award – Alexandra Rieker
Rieker earned her second career All-BIG EAST selection when she finished second in the 200-yard breaststroke at the 2019 BIG EAST Championships. She also won the consolation final races in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard IM, earning valuable points for the Hoyas. At this year's first annual GUSY's award show, Rieker earned Georgetown's Female Team Player Award, voted on by her student-athlete peers.
 
Ted Breck & Otto Kelleher Male Coaches Award – Jack Reichert
Reichert has improved in each of his three seasons on the Hilltop and has become one of Georgetown's most consistent freestyle sprinters, swimming both the 50- and 100-yard freestyles. His best finish of the season game in a tri-meet against local rivals American and George Washington where Reichert placed fifth in the 50 free and eighth in the 100. He set a personal best with a 47.58 in the prelims of the 100-yard freestyle at the 2019 BIG EAST Championships.
 
The GU men finished second at the 2019 BIG EAST Championships, while the women placed third. The Hoyas won six gold medals overall and set 15 program records. Georgetown had a league-high 24 student-athletes earn All-BIG EAST honors with 13 women receiving all-conference recognition in 17 events, while the men's squad saw 11 student-athletes earn accolades in 32 events. Head Coach Jack Leavitt and the Georgetown coaching staff were named the BIG EAST Men's Coaching Staff of the Year and Head Diving Coach Marc VanDyken earned BIG EAST Women's Diving Coach of the Year honors.
 
Outside of the pool, the Hoyas excelled in the classroom as both squads were selected as College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American programs for the fall semester. The Hoya men posted the third-best team GPA in the country, while the Hoya women registered a 3.43 fall GPA, ranking among the top 50 percent of 175 Division I women's programs that were recognized.