HONOLULU — The University of Hawai'i swim and dive teams earned seven Big West awards, including a sweep of the diving awards for a second consecutive season after dominant performances at the Big West Championships last week.
Macie Wheeler earned both Big West Women's Diver of the Year and Freshman Diver of the Year honors, while Juan Esteban Ramirez Tamayo was voted as the Big West Men's Diver of the Year and Freshman Diver of the Year.
Adam Zdybel claimed Men's Co-Freshman Swimmer of the Year honors, sharing the award with Sam Seybold of Cal Poly.
Hawai'i's Brandon Blaisdell garnered Big West Men's Diving Coach of the Year honors, and was also selected as the Co-Women's Diving Coach of the Year alongside Phil Tonne of UC Davis. UH men's and women's dive teams dominated at the Big West Championships securing gold in every event.
In her rookie season, Wheeler is the first Rainbow Wahine to be crowned conference champion in all three diving events — 1-meter, 3-meter and platform — in a single season since 2016. At the Big West Championships, Wheeler won the 1-meter dive with a score of 307.90, which is the ninth highest score in Rainbow Wahine history. Wheeler claimed gold in the 3-meter dive posting the third highest mark in Rainbow Wahine history with a score of 367.30. Wheeler capped off her championship week winning the platform dive with a score of 227.70. The freshman's standout season earned her a spot to participate in the NCAA Division I Zone E qualifiers for the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform dive in March. Wheeler is the 20th Rainbow Wahine to garner conference diver of the year honors.
Ramirez Tamayo earned Big West titles in the 1-meter and platform dive. Ramirez Tamayo claimed the 1-meter championship with a score of 335.95, and later earned gold in the platform dive posting the fourth highest mark in UH history with a score of 376.90. He also earned silver in the 3-meter diving championship with a mark of 321.70. The freshman secured multiple wins throughout the season including victories in the 1-meter and 3-meter dives in a dual meet with GCU and a win in the 3-meter dive at the SMU Invitational. Ramirez Tamayo's outstanding season also earned him a spot at the NCAA Division I Zone E qualifiers in all three events. He is the 15th Rainbow Warrior to earn the conference diver of the year award.
Zdybel competed in five events at the Big West Championships earning a silver medal as a member of the 800 free relay team and a bronze medal in the 200 free. In the 800 free relay, he swam the third leg and posted a time of 1:35.89. Zdybel finished third in the 200 free touching the wall at 1:36.46, the sixth fastest time in Rainbow Warrior history. He also achieved the tenth fastest time in program history in the 500 free at the Big West Championships with a mark of 4:24.76. Zdybel claimed multiple runner-up finishes in the 200 free and 500 free events throughout the season leading up to his podium finishes at the Big West Championships.
Blaisdell earned his second consecutive Men's and Women's Diving Coach of the Year honors after the 'Bows swept all six individual titles at the Big West Championships. The Rainbow Warriors secured championships in each event and finished no lower than third place. The Rainbow Wahine also claimed gold in every event and concluded the week with six medals overall. Despite UH's loss of both its Men's and Women's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Diver of the Year honorees from a year ago, Blaisdell helped pave the way for new faces in Wheeler and Ramirez Tamayo to garner equivalent success in their freshman campaigns. Blaisdell's Men's Diving Coach of the Year award marks the 14th overall in UH history, while his Women's Diving Coach of the Year honor is the programs 19th overall.
UH tallied a total of 24 members on the All-Big West team and accumulated 67 honors. The Rainbow Warriors accounted for 13 members and 34 honors, while the Rainbow Wahine totaled 11 members and 33 honors. Karol Ostrowski earned a team-high seven honors, matching his total from last season in the MPSF. Rainbow Warrior divers Ramirez Tamayo and Brandon Shepherd each claimed all three diving honors. Holly Nelson and Zofia Tyminska each earned six selections to lead the Rainbow Wahine. Wheeler garnered all thee diving honors to lead the Rainbow Wahine diving squad.
2024-25 Big West Swimming & Diving Awards
Men's Big West Swimming & Diving Awards
Women's Big West Swimming & Diving Awards
- Women's Swimmer of the Year: Asia Kozan, UC San Diego
- Women's Diver of the Year: Macie Wheeler, Hawai'i
- Women's Freshman Swimmer of the Year: Miranda Stevenson, UC Santa Barbara
- Women's Freshman Diver of the Year: Macie Wheeler, Hawai'i
- Women's Swimming Coach of the Year: Jaclyn Rosen, UC Santa Barbara
- Women's Co-Diving Coach of the Year: Brandon Blaisdell, Hawai'i / Phil Tonne, UC Davis
Men's All-Big West Honorees
Finn Brophy
Victor Dagenais
Tomer Goldfaden
- 200 medley relay
- 400 medley relay
Jordan Meacham
- 100 breast
- 200 free relay
- 800 free relay
Dietrich Meyer
- 200 medley relay
- 200 free relay
- 400 free relay
Karol Ostrowski
- 50 free
- 100 back
- 100 free
- 200 medley relay
- 200 free relay
- 400 free relay
- 800 free relay
Juan Esteban Ramirez Tamayo
- 1-meter dive
- 3-meter dive
- Platform dive
Regan Richardson
- 400 medley relay
- 400 free relay
Brandon Shepherd
- 1-meter dive
- 3-meter dive
- Platform dive
Andrew Simmons
Jack Simon
Grant Stoddard
- 50 free
- 100 fly
- 200 medley relay
- 200 free relay
Adam Zdybel
Women's All-Big West Honorees
Catherine Belyakov
Mia Blazhevska Eminova
- 100 fly
- 200 free
- 800 free relay
Avery Coates
Alexia Kovaluk
- 200 free relay
- 400 free relay
- 800 free relay
Mandolin Nguyen
- 200 medley relay
- 400 medley relay
Holly Nelson
- 50 free
- 100 free
- 200 medley relay
- 200 free relay
- 400 medley relay
- 400 free relay
Alexa Ozment
- 100 back
- 200 medley relay
- 200 free relay
- 400 medley relay
Ruby Pickron
- 1-meter dive
- 3-meter dive
Arianna Sakellaris
- 400 free relay
- 800 free relay
Zofia Tyminska
- 200 IM
- 200 breast
- 200 medley relay
- 200 free relay
- 400 medley relay
- 400 free relay
Macie Wheeler
- 1-meter dive
- 3-meter dive
- Platform dive
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