BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Vermont women's swimming & diving program handed out its team awards and honored the senior class for the 2018-19 season at its annual awards banquet on Saturday night at the UVM Alumni House. Sara Meyer, Sophia Smith, Ashley Branagan, Kendall Ware, and Julia DeGregorio earned the team's individual prizes.

For the seventh straight year, UVM finished third at the America East Championships with 510 points. Junior Sierra Sexton earned America East All-Conference honors after placing second in the 50 free.
 
JOE FISCHER AWARD: Sara Meyer
The Joe Fischer Award honors a student-athlete who has displayed dedication, sacrifice, and humility. Meyer embodied those characteristics this past season as a senior. She placed 12th in the 200 breast and 13th in the 100 breast at the 2019 America East Championships. The senior earned a spot on the 2016 America East Academic Honor Roll and the 2017 America East Commissioner's Honor Roll.
 
LES LEGGETT AWARD: Sophia Smith
The Les Leggett Award honors a student-athlete who has displayed leadership, loyalty, humility, and sportsmanship. Smith earned the America East Elite 18 Award at the 2019 America East Championships for her efforts in the water and classroom. The junior tri-captain placed eighth in both the 200 free and 1650 free and 10th in the 500 free at the 2019 Championships. She helped three relay teams place in the top-four at the conference championships. The junior was named to the 2019 America East All-Academic team as she holds a 3.89 GPA as an Elementary Education major.  
 
MOST IMPROVED DIVER AWARD: Ashley Branagan
The Most Improved Diver Award honors a diver that has showed the most progress throughout the season. Branagan placed in the top-five in 12 events this season, including second place finishes on the one-meter and three-meter boards against Niagara (Sept. 30). At the 2019 America East Championships, she placed ninth in the three-meter dive and 10th in the one-meter dive. Branagan earned a spot on the 2016 America East Academic Honor Roll.
 
COACH'S AWARD: Kendall Ware
The Coach's Award honors a student-athlete who has made a significant impact to the team's success. Ware posted 13 top-five finishes in the 2018-19 season, including a first place finish in the 100 back against Rhode Island. At the 2019 America East Championships, the freshman placed 13th in both the 400 IM and 500 free. She also helped the 200 medley relay team finish fifth at the conference championships.

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD: Julia DeGregorio
The Athlete of the Year Award is given to the student-athlete who exhibits exceptional athletic ability, coachability, sportsmanship, teamwork, and work ethic. DeGregorio earned the 2019 Athlete of the Year award after winning nine events and placing in the top-five in 23 events in the 2018-19 season. At the 2019 America East Championships, the senior placed sixth in both the 100 fly and 200 fly; and she helped the 400 medley relay team place fourth. The Dover, New Hampshire native earned a spot on the 2019 America East All-Academic team and earned America East Swimmer of the Week honors in November.

Speeder & Earl's Coffee is the presenting sponsor of the UVM women's swimming & diving program