April 6, 2000
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -
California's Haley Cope has been named Women's Swimmer of the Year and Anthony Ervin has been named Pac-10 Men's Swimming Newcomer of the Year, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced today.
Cope, a 5-11 junior from Chico, Calif., was the lead swimmer on two relay teams which won titles at this year's Pac-10 Championships in Long Beach, Calif., and the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis. Cope swam Cal to two Pac-10 meet records in the 200-medley relay and 400-medley relay. She also had top-eight finishes in the 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly and 200 backstroke. At the NCAAs, Cope led Cal to a World Record in the 200-medley relay with a time of 1:49.23. She also swam on the 200-freestyle relay, setting a U.S. Open Record in the process with a time of 1:40.18. To top it off, she finished second in the 100 backstroke and sixth in the 100 butterfly.
Ervin, a 6-2 freshman from Valencia, Calif., won two individual NCAA titles in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle events, as well as swimming a leg on the winning 400-meter freestyle relay team at this year's NCAA Championships. Ervin became the first Bear to win more than one individual title since 1997. He broke the World Record in the 50 free with a time of 21.21 seconds. He also set a U.S. Open record in the 100 free with a time of 47.36. At the Pac-10 Championships, Ervin swam on the winning 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams. He had two second-place markings in the 50 and 100 free.
The awards are determined by a vote of the coaches.
