Erika Brown of the University of Tennessee, University of Michigan’s Maggie MacNeil, Beata Nelson of the University of Wisconsin and California’s Abbey Weitzeil are the four finalists for the Class of 2020 Honda Sport Award for Swimming & Diving as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today.
The CWSA has been balancing the recognition of deserving honorees with these unusual times as collegiate athletics have come to a halt. Given the nationwide pandemic, the CWSA will be announcing the winter honorees, the 2020 Inspiration Award finalists and winner and will announce the status of the 2020 event as those details become clearer.
As is our protocol, the swimming & diving finalists were selected by a panel of coaches and experts from the Collegiate Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSAA), however, given the unprecedented cancellation of championships the panel relied mostly on cumulative rankings and scoring. The Honda Sport award winner for swimming & diving will be announced next week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.
Brown, a senior from Charlotte, N.C., is the reigning SEC Female Swimmer of the Year and was twice named the SEC Swimmer of the Meet at the last two conference championships. She led Tennessee to its first-ever SEC Championship title in 2020 going three-for-three winning the 50 and 100 free and the 100 fly. She is the only woman in SEC history to go three-for-three in the same events three consecutive years. She closes her SEC Championship career with 18 gold medals and 23 total medals. She is also a two-time SEC Commissioner’s Trophy winner.
MacNeil was named the 2020 Big Ten Swimmer of the Year and is a seven-time CSCAA All-American. The sophomore hailing from London, Ontario, Canada, is a 10-time Big Ten Champion and two-time All-Big Ten honoree. She tied the NCAA and U.S. Open record (49.26) in the 100-yard fly and received an invite to the 2020 NCAA Championship for the 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly before being canceled. She became the world champion in the 100 fly last July and helped Canada to bronze medals on two relay teams.
Beata, a senior from Madison, Wis., is a two-time Honda Sport Award finalist for swimming & diving and the reigning CSCAA Women’s Swimmer of the Year. The seven-time CSCAA All-American holds the collegiate, U.S. Open and American record in the 100 backstroke and is the only woman to break 50 seconds in the 100 backstroke (six times). She also holds the NCAA record in the 200 backstroke. She is an AAU Sullivan Award semifinalist, given to the nation’s top amateur athlete, and the reigning Big Ten Swimmer of the Year.
Weitzeil is also a two-time Honda Sport Award finalist. The senior from Walnut Creek, Calif., set the American and U.S. Open record in the 50 free (20.90) to become the first woman in history to break the 21-second barrier. She has earned 17 CSCAA All-America honors and captured a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships as part of the U.S. 400m free relay that set an American record. She set a Pac-12 meet record in winning the 50 free in 21.03 before injuring her arm and missing the rest of the 2020 meet but was set to compete in the NCAA Championships before cancellation.
Honda Sport Award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations.
The CWSA, celebrating its 44th year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.
About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility
Honda also is committed to making positive contributions to the communities where it does business, conducting socially responsible business practices and promoting diversity in its workforce. From Honda's involvement in STEM education and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to its support of pediatric brain tumor research and volunteer efforts by Honda associates, including environmental clean-up activities, Honda believes in giving back to the communities where its associates live and work. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.