RMAC Men’s Swimming and Diving Major Awards, All-Conference Teams Announced
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference announced its 2021-22 Men’s Swimming and Diving major award winners and all-conference rosters Thursday. Leading the way with the major awards is Colorado Mesa’s Ben Sampson as the Men’s Swimmer of the Year and Mavs teammate Isaiah Cheeks as the Men’s Diver of the Year. Oklahoma Christian’s Victor Rosado is the Men’s Freshman of the Year, while Colorado School of Mines’ Claire McDaniel is the Men’s Coach of the Year.
Sampson claims the Swimmer of the Year honor after earning seven All-America honors at the 2021-22 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. He accounted for three top-10 individual finishes at the national meet, including a second-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke, which stands as the best finish in Colorado Mesa program history. In addition to his individual performances, he was also a part of four point-scoring relay teams, helping him score an impressive 39 points off of individual events alone at the national championships. He set six school records at the NCAA meet and now holds eight Colorado Mesa records in total.
Cheeks made a splash in the 2021-22 season by claiming the RMAC Diver of the Year award after securing a pair of conference championships in the one-meter and three-meter dives. He then took that success to the national stage, where he claimed the NCAA national championship on the three-meter board. He also earned a fourth-place finish in the one-meter dive at the NCAA championships, bringing his All-America count to two for the 2021-22 season. At the RMAC Championships, he set career-best marks of 514.35 in the one-meter dive and 554.30 in the three-meter dive.
Rosado burst onto the scene for the Eagles in the 2021-22 campaign after earning conference titles in the 500-yard, 1,000-yard, 1,650-yard and 800-yard freestyle relay events at the RMAC Swimming and Diving Championships. The freshman claimed top-five finishes and All-America distinctions in three events at the NCAA championships and closed the season unbeaten in all of his dual meets. Rosado was also named the RMAC Swimmer of the Meet following his dominant performance in the distance races after earning a trio of first team all-conference nods.
McDaniel is the RMAC Men’s Coach of the Year after leading the Orediggers to yet another successful season. She coached nine individuals and five relay teams to all-conference distinctions and led a pair of swimmers and one relay team to appearances the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. This coaching award marks the second consecutive season taking home the men’s honor for McDaniel.
Colorado Mesa leads the way among all-conference selections with 43 in total, followed by Oklahoma Christian with 22 honorees. Colorado School of Mines combines for 14 selections, while Adams State claims a trio of all-conference honors. The Mavericks earn 24 first-team nods and 19 second-team honors, while the Eagles secure 14 first-teamers and eight second-team spots. The Orediggers stamp four positions among the first team and 10 positions among the second team. Adams State claims three second-team accolades.
RMAC Swimming and Diving major awards and all-conference rosters are voted on by the league’s four head coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for themselves or their student-athletes.
Men’s Swimmer of the Year: Ben Sampson, Colorado Mesa
Men’s Diver of the Year: Isaiah Cheeks, Colorado Mesa
Men’s Freshman of the Year: Victor Rosado, Oklahoma Christian
Men’s Coach of the Year: Claire McDaniel, Colorado School of Mines
2021-22 Men’s Swimming and Diving RMAC All-Conference First Team
| Event |
Name |
Name |
| 50 Yard Freestyle |
Lane Austin, CMU |
Mado Elkady, CMU |
| 100 Yard Backstroke |
Ben Sampson, CMU |
Lane Austin, CMU |
| 100 Yard Breaststroke |
JT Amrein, OC |
Mahmoud Elgayar, CMU |
| 100 Yard Butterfly |
Dejan Urbanek, CMU |
Charles Burroughs, Mines |
| 100 Yard Freestyle |
Brandon Heredia, OC |
Mado Elkady, CMU |
| 200 Yard Backstroke |
Ben Sampson, CMU |
Jeremy Koch, CMU |
| 200 Yard Breaststroke |
JT Amrein, OC |
Mahmoud Elgayar, CMU |
| 200 Yard Butterfly |
Dejan Urbanek, CMU |
Charles Burroughs, Mines |
| 200 Yard Freestyle |
Brandon Heredia, OC |
Victor Rosado, OC |
| 200 Yard IM |
JT Amrein, OC |
Matt Barrett, CMU |
| 400 Yard IM |
Ronan Lauinger, Mines |
Jake Simmons, CMU |
| 500 Yard Freestyle |
Victor Rosado, OC |
Chase Fields, OC |
| 1,000 Yard Freestyle |
Victor Rosado, OC |
Gavin Anderson, CMU |
| 1,650 Yard Freestyle |
Victor Rosado, OC |
Gavin Anderson, CMU |
| 200 Yard Medley Relay |
B. Sampson, M. Elgayar, D. Urbanek, L. Austin (CMU) |
S. LaPrade, G. Waite, R. Clayton, H. Smith (Mines) |
| 200 Yard Freestyle Relay |
B. Sampson, A. Scoggin, M. Elkady, L. Austin (CMU) |
F. Berling, J. Amrein, D. Montgomery, B. Heredia (OC) |
| 400 Yard Freestyle Relay |
M. Elkady, K. Kiszczak, F. D’Orsi, L. Austin (CMU) |
J. Amrein, B. Heredia, C. Musser, D. Montgomery (OC) |
| 400 Yard Medley Relay |
B. Sampson, M. Elgayar, D. Urbanek, M. Laperriere (CMU) |
D. Montgomery, J. Amrein, C. Fields, B. Heredia (OC) |
| 800 Yard Freestyle Relay |
B. Heredia, C. Fields, C. Musser, V. Rosado (OC) |
K. Kiszczak, B. Sampson, J. Walgast, M. Laperriere (CMU) |
| 1-Meter Dive |
Isaiah Cheeks, CMU |
Noah Luna, CMU |
| 3-Meter Dive |
Isaiah Cheeks, CMU |
Noah Luna, CMU |
2021-22 Men’s Swimming and Diving RMAC All-Conference Second Team
| Event |
Name |
Name |
| 50 Yard Freestyle |
Felix Berling, OC |
Brandon Heredia, OC |
| 100 Yard Backstroke |
Andrew Scoggin, CMU |
Dereck Montgomery, OC |
| 100 Yard Breaststroke |
Felix Berling, OC |
Matt Barrett, CMU |
| 100 Yard Butterfly |
Robert Clayton, Mines |
Harry Smith, Mines |
| 100 Yard Freestyle |
Harry Smith, Mines |
Kuba Kiszczak, CMU |
| 200 Yard Backstroke |
Andrew Scoggin, CMU |
Lane Austin, CMU |
| 200 Yard Breaststroke |
Matt Barrett, CMU |
Lorenzo Tabladini, OC |
| 200 Yard Butterfly |
Jake Simmons, CMU |
Joe Peak, Mines |
| 200 Yard Freestyle |
Kuba Kiszczak, CMU |
Matheus Laperriere, CMU |
| 200 Yard IM |
Ben Sampson, CMU |
Charles Burroughs, Mines |
| 400 Yard IM |
Jacob Troescher, CMU |
Braden Whitmarsh, Mines |
| 500 Yard Freestyle |
Kuba Kiszczak, CMU |
Gavin Anderson, CMU |
| 1,000 Yard Freestyle |
Chase Fields, OC |
Dejan Urbanek, CMU |
| 1,650 Yard Freestyle |
Jacob Troescher, CMU |
Chase Fields, OC |
| 200 Yard Freestyle Relay |
H. Smith, B. Hunt, S. Krause, G. Waite (Mines) |
F. D’Orsi, K. Kiszczak, M. Barrett, T. Werts (CMU) |
| 200 Yard Medley Relay |
D. Montgomery, J. Amrein, E. Tung, F. Berling (OC) |
K. Stott, G. Benton, J. Jones, G. Lutkenhaus (ASU) |
| 400 Yard Freestyle Relay |
H. Smith, N. Delany, B. Hunt, G. Waite (Mines) |
G. Benton, G. Lutkenhaus, K. Stott, E. Duran (ASU) |
| 400 Yard Medley Relay |
S. Krause, J. Engler, C. Burroughs, M. Kietzman (Mines) |
K. Stott, G. Benton, J. Jones, G. Lutkenhaus (ASU) |
| 800 Yard Freestyle Relay |
M. Kietzman, B. Whitmarsh, J. Peak, N. Delany (Mines) |
J. Koch, J. Troescher, G. Anderson, J. Simmons (CMU) |
| 1-Meter Dive |
Tanner Belliston, CMU |
- |
| 3-Meter Dive |
Tanner Belliston, CMU |
- |