April 26, 2007
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team recently held its annual awards banquet to conclude the 2006-07 season. Senior Katie Carroll (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) finished her Irish career receiving team MVP honors. A total of eight awards were presented overall.
Carroll was named the Notre Dame Monogram Club Team MVP for the third consecutive season. During her senior campaign, Carroll was an All-American in the 400 individual medley for the second time in her career, as well as being an honorable mention All-American (200 butterfly) for the fifth time. The senior was a seven-time 2007 all-BIG EAST performer to increase her career totals to a school record 12 individual all-BIG EAST titles, 16 relay all-BIG EAST honors and 28 overall all-BIG EAST selections. Carroll also notched 19 individual victories during the 2006-07 season, while setting school records in four events (500 freestyle, 1,000 freestyle, 400 individual medley and 200 butterfly).
Senior Julia Quinn (Evanston, Ill./Evanston) and junior Georgia Steenberge (Granbury, Texas/Granbury) were both presented with the Knute Rockne Student-Athlete Award by the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley.
Freshman Vivian Healey (New York, N.Y./Stuyvesant) received the Most Improved Swimmer/Diver Award. The Most Improved Award is annually given by the coaching staff to the swimmer or diver who has shown the most improvement throughout the season.
Senior Ann Barton (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain) was named the recipient of the Most Honorable Award, as it was deemed she best represented the Notre Dame image as a supportive, inspiring, enthusiastic team member.
Freshman Ashlee Edgell (Cincinnati, Ohio/Madeira) received the Beeler-Hipp Award. This award is presented to an outstanding freshman that best exemplifies the vitality, competitiveness and love for Notre Dame shown by Meghan Beeler and Colleen Hipp in their freshman year. The award continues to honor the 1991-92 men’s and women’s swimming teams for their courage, discipline and love for one another displayed during that season.
Fellow freshman Zeina Shanata (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz) was selected as the winner of the Golden Dumbbell Award. The Golden Dumbbell Award is given by the strength and conditioning coach to the swimmer or diver that puts forth the greatest effort and pushes themselves the most in the weight room.
Two new awards were handed out this year, with junior Tara Hyer (Tampa, Fla./Academy of Holy Names) taking home the Diving Coaches Award and Shanata the Swimming Coaches Award.
Notre Dame finished the 2006-07 campaign ranked 19th in the final College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) dual-meet pool with an 8-1 record. The Irish won their conference record 11th consecutive BIG EAST Conference Championship with a 228-point victory over second-place Rutgers.