HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i swimming and diving team celebrated an outstanding 2016-17 season over the weekend with its annual team awards banquet.
 
The banquet capped a season when the Rainbow Wahine captured the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship, five UH student-athletes qualified for the NCAA championships, Hawai'i dominated the MPSF weekly and postseason awards, and re-wrote numerous school records and top-10 times.
 
Franziska Weidner won the Jennifer Koprowski Most Outstanding Swimmer award. Weidner qualified for the NCAA championships in three events, broke the program and MPSF 200 free (1:45.52) and 200 IM (1:56.32) records, and was the MPSF Women's Swimmer of the Year. Weidner also collected four MPSF women's swimming and diving Athlete of the Week honors throughout the season.
 
Metin Aydin was the recipient of the Corey Carroll Most Outstanding Swimmer award. Aydin earned honorable mention All-America honors after finishing 15th at the NCAA championships in the 200 IM by setting the program record by more than two seconds in 1:43.32. Aydin had top-20 finishes in each of his three NCAA championship races, finishing 18th in the 200 back (1:41.02) and 19th in the 100 back (46.27), both program records. The MPSF Men's Swimmer of the Year broke a total of four program records in 2016-17.
 
Madison Sthamann earned women's Most Outstanding Diver honors after a stellar season that concluded at the NCAA championship meet. Sthamann won MPSF gold in both the platform and 3-meter diving competitions, and was the MPSF Women's Diver of the Year. Sthamann recorded the No. 2 platform diving score in program history, a 313.90 during her MPSF championship performance.
 
Johan Sandell was named the men's Most Outstanding Diver. Sandell's 404.40 on the platform is the second-best score in program history—netting him gold at the MPSF championships—while his 398.85 on the 3-meter ranks third. He qualified for the NCAA championships in all three diving events, and was the MPSF Men's Diver of the Year.

Brooke Kniffin and Evan Rabanal were the recipients of the Soichi Sakamoto Coach's Award, honoring the male and female student-athletes who show consistent hard work, diligence, and sportsmanship throughout the season. Kniffin recorded a 55.53 in the 100 back and a 2:00.55 in the 200 back at the MPSF championships, both fifth-best in program history. Rabanal also had his best meet of the season at the MPSF championships, with season-best times in the 200 back (1:51.83), 200 IM (1:52.34) and 400 IM (4:05.49).
 
Bryndis Hansen—who qualified for the NCAA championships in the 50 free, 100 free and 200 free—won the Peter Chi Most Inspirational award. Hansen swam four program top-5 times this season, coming .02 shy from matching the program record in the 50 free (22.38). She also swam the program's No. 2 time the 100 free (48.55), the No. 3 time in the 100 fly (53.75), and No. 4 in the 200 free (1:46.93). Hansen was the MPSF 50 free gold medalist and contributed to two gold-medal relays.
 
Sophomore Drew Holloway won the men's Peter Chi Most Inspirational award. Holloway had four top-20 finishes at the MPSF championships, highlighted by a 10th-place finish in the 500 free (4:28.55).
 
Senior Madi Uekawa earned the women's Outstanding Scholar of the Year by maintaining the highest GPA on the team. She was an MPSF all-academic selection and also had the program's No. 8 best time in the 100 breast with a 1:03.64.
 
Junior Jonas Gutzat was the men's Outstanding Scholar of the Year with the team's highest GPA. Gutzat, an MPSF all-academic selection, had four program top-5 times this season with the No. 2 time in the 500 free (4:20.86), No. 4 in the 1650 free (15:21.45), No. 5 in the 200 free (1:36.73), and No. 5 in the 1000 free (9:20.07).
 
Rainbow Wahine freshman Phoebe Hines took home the Tammy Tye Outstanding Rookie Award. Hines had one of the best seasons for a distance swimmer in program history, setting program records in the 1000 free (9:54.35) and 1650 free (16:20.89) and swimming the program's No. 2 time in the 500 free (4:48.07). Hines was the MPSF gold medalist in both the 1000 free and 1650 free.
 
Mateusz Chaba won the Mike Sheldt Outstanding Rookie Award after a stellar season. His 47.13 in the 100 fly was the second-fastest time in program history and earned him a third-place finish at the MPSF championships.
 
UH boasted the MPSF Women's Swimming Coach of the Year (Dan Schemmel), Men's and Women's Diving Co-Coaches of the Year (Mike Brown/Anita Rossing), Men's Swimmer of the Year (Metin Aydin), Women's Swimmer of the Year (Franziska Weidner), Men's Diver of the Year (Johan Sandell) and Women's Diver of the Year (Madison Sthamann). UH also collected 17 MPSF all-academic honors and nine MPSF swimming and diving Athlete of the Week citations. In all, 14 program records fell in 2016-17, including eight individual marks and six relays.