FLUSHING, N.Y. (Feb. 7, 2018) - On Wednesday, the City University of New York Athletic Conference, in partnership with Pepsi, announced its year-end award winners and 2017-18 All-Stars for men's swimming and diving.
Staten Island's
Nick Defonte, the 2017 CUNYAC Preseason Swimmer of the Year, claimed Performer of the Year accolades. Baruch's
Evan Nikolic was tabbed as the Rookie of the Year. Lehman's
Peter Kiernan garnered Coach of the Year honors.
Performer of the Year - Nick Defonte, Jr, Staten Island
Defonte, who was dubbed the Co-Most Valuable Performer of the CUNYAC Championship, was a near-unanimous selection. He tied for the most points accrued at the league meet and won individual conference titles in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke.
In addition, Defonte clocked the league's fastest times in the regular season in the 200-, 500- and 1,000-yard freestyle and the 100- and 200-yard backstroke.
Rookie of the Year - Evan Nikolic, Fr, Baruch
Nikolic, a two-time CUNYAC Rookie of the Week, made an immediate splash for the Bearcats, helping his team to an undefeated 4-0 conference record and their first league crown since 2012. He also swam the conference's top mark in the 200-yard butterfly in the regular season.
Additionally, Nikolic placed second in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly at the CUNYAC Championships and swam a leg of Baruch's title-winning 200-yard medley relay.
Coach of the Year - Peter Kiernan, Lehman
Kiernan led the Lightning to an overall record of .500 or better for the seventh-consecutive season. In that seven-year span, Kiernan has compiled a record of 38-28, translating to a .576 winning percentage.
2017-18 CUNYAC/Pepsi Men's Swimming and Diving All-Stars
Adam Acevedo, Lehman
Adil El Haddad, Staten Island
Ayman El Haddad, Staten Island
Chris Fischer, Lehman
Jonathan Gorinshteyn, Staten Island
Matthew Greenfield, Baruch
Omar Hasan-Hafez, Brooklyn
Brian Jensen, Brooklyn
Erik Kantar, Baruch
Anton Kyrylenko, Lehman
Brandon Lei, Staten Island
Joe Lee, Brooklyn
Kevin Leung, Brooklyn
Leo Litovsky, Staten Island
Andrew Lubrino, Baruch
Eddy Min, Baruch
David Pejovic, Baruch
Ryan Sanchez, Lehman
Samuel Shteynberg, Baruch
Christopher Sorensen, Staten Island
Julian Timeo, Baruch
Joseph Vasile, Baruch
Thomas Wong, Brooklyn
Performer of the Year: Nick Defonte, Staten Island
Rookie of the Year: Evan Nikolic, Baruch
Coach of the Year: Peter Kiernan, Lehman
Sportsmanship Award: Brandon Lei, Staten Island
Sportsmanship Team: Marlon Somwaru, Baruch, Kevin Leung, Brooklyn, Jeremy Sapeg, York