Saunders, Kiner Take SSC Swimmer and Coach of the Year Honors
MELBOURNE, Fla. - The Sunshine State Conference is pleased to announce the 2020 men's swimming individual awards. Brett Saunders and Jimi Kiner from the University of Tampa have been named Swimmer of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively. Lynn University's Mohamed Masmoudi earns Freshman of the Year honors.
SSC Swimmer, Freshman, and Coach of the Year awards are selected by a vote of the league's swimming coaches following the shortened NCAA Division II National Championship. All-SSC swimmers were selected earlier this season following the conference championship meet held February 13-16 at the Long Center in Clearwater.
2020 SSC Men's Swimming All-Conference Teams
Saunders becomes the first athlete from Tampa to win Men's Swimmer of the Year accolades from the SSC. The senior was recently named the top male athlete at the 2020 conference championship, becoming the first Spartan to win the honor. This season he swam the fastest 400 IM in NCAA Division II, and recorded the second-fastest times in the 200 IM and 200 backstroke. The Newark, Delaware native broke the SSC's 400 IM record this season and set meet records in the 400 IM and 200 backstroke. Saunders and his teammates were national qualifiers in the 800 free relay, 200 medley relay, and 400 medley relay. The 800 free relay's top time stood as the second-fastest in the country, and 200 medley relay broke the conference's meet record.
Masmoudi takes Freshman of the Year honors following Lynn's inaugural year of men's swimming. The Tunis, Tunisia native finished tied for eighth in individual points at the SSC Championship and was named to the All-SSC Second Team. Masmoudi won the 1650 free at the conference meet by six seconds and was slated to swim at the National Championships before the event ended abruptly. Beyond the 1650 free, Masmoudi produced NCAA provisional qualifying times and school records in the 500 free, 1000 free, and 400 IM.
Kiner has been selected SSC Coach of the Year by his peers following Tampa's first conference championship in men's swimming. Under Kiner's leadership, eight swimmers and five relay teams earned passage to the NCAA championship, six men were named to All-SSC teams, and Tampa's program claimed its first Swimmer of the Meet and Swimmer of the Year honors. This season UT captured the conference's top time in 12 events, broke four SSC meet records, and tallied an overall league record. Kiner is the first UT coach to win the award in men's swimming.
SSC Records / Top Times | Men's Swimmers and Coaches of the Year