North Atlantic Conference announces Men’s Swimming & Diving post-season awards
WATERVILLE, Maine – Maine Maritime Academy’s
Carson Trout headlines as the North Atlantic Conference Swimmer of the Year as the NAC unveiled their 2023-2024 All-conference honorees in men’s swimming and diving.
Husson’s
Spencer Bernat repeated as NAC Diver of the Year, while
James Branaugh and
Bryce Bowie of Gordon College earned Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year respectively. Husson’s
Isaias Therio was tabbed as this year’s Senior Scholar Athlete honoree.
Trout, a junior from League City, Texas, was the top NAC finisher in three individual events this past weekend at the Metropolitan Swimming & Diving Championship, which served as the NAC Championship. Trout led the conference in the 50 Freestyle (21.46), 100 Freestyle (47.59), and the 100 Butterfly (52.15). In all three events, Trout placed second among the Metro competitors. Trout was also a part of the 200 Freestyle and 400 and 200 Medley Relays that placed first in the NAC. The Mariners placed first overall in the Metros in the 200 Freestyle Relay and second in the two Medley Relays. Trout now owns Maine Maritime’s team record in the 50 and 100 Freestyle as well as the 50 and 100 Butterfly and is part of all five team record relays. Trout earned NAC Swimmer of the Week accolades one time this season.
Husson University men’s swimming & diving graduate student
Bernat “three-peats” as NAC Diver of the Year (2022, 2023, 2024). Bernat has earned NAC Diver of the Week numerous times this season and continued to set program records on both the one meter and three-meter boards. Bernat qualified for the NCAA regional diving championship with a score of 448.75 in the one-meter diving event, finishing second in the Metro and first in the NAC. He became the second diver in program history to score over 400 points in an 11-dive event. Bernat also set a school record with 398.90 points in the three-meter diving event.
In his first year on the swimming and diving team at Gordon College,
Branaugh has gained top ten times in eight different events, including breaking the Fighting Scots team 50 Freestyle record. Branaugh finished in the top five in the 50 Freestyle among Metro competitors and placed third in the NAC with a time of 22.11. In the 100 Breaststroke, he finished second among NAC swimmers with a time of 1:04.10. Branaugh has earned NAC Rookie of the Week honors three times this season.
Bowie is in his second season as head swimming and diving coach for Gordon College and helped lead his men’s program to a sixth place finish out of 11 teams at the Metropolitan Championship. This is Bowie’s second time earning NAC Coach of the Year honors after being awarded Co-Coach of the Year during the 2022-2023 season when the Fighting Scots first joined the NAC as an associate member in men’s and women’s swimming and diving.
Therio will graduate from Husson University in the spring with a 3.928 GPA in criminal justice with a prelaw certificate. Therio has been part of the legal studies organization as the secretary since 2022, the criminal just club, pep band member and earned his Eagle Scout during college. He's worked as a lifeguard at the Waldo Country YMCA since 2020, an archery instructor at Katahdin Scout Reservation, and has been a lifeguard for Husson. Additionally, Therio has been completing an internship at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor and has been a multi-year member of the NAC all-academic team and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.
In addition to the top conference awards, the 20 individual event winners at the 2024 NAC Men’s Swimming & Diving Championship were named to the All-Conference Team and four men were named to the NAC Men's Swimming & Diving Sportsmanship Team.
The Sportsmanship Team is reserved for those who distinguish themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The honorees have positively affected the sport culture and meet environment by clearly demonstrating sportsmanship and integrity beyond playing rules and etiquette.
MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING
Swimmer of the Year – Carson Trout, Maine Maritime Academy
Diver of the Year – Spencer Bernat, Husson University
Rookie of the Year – James Branaugh – Gordon College
Senior Scholar Athlete – Isaias Therio, Husson University
Coach of the Year – Bryce Bowie, Gordon College
2024 All-North Atlantic Conference
First Place at the NAC Championship
500 Freestyle – John Markillie, Maine Maritime Academy
200 Individual Medley – Brady Hand, Husson University
50 Freestyle – Carson Trout, Maine Maritime Academy
1-Meter Diving – Spencer Bernat, Husson University
400 Individual Medley – Ponce Saltysiak, Maine Maritime Academy
100 Butterfly – Carson Trout, Maine Maritime Academy
200 Freestyle – Alex Walsh, Husson University
100 Breaststroke – Aidan Burke, Maine Maritime Academy
100 Backstroke – Ryan Emerson, Husson University
1650 Freestyle – James Creegan, Maine Maritime Academy
3-Meter Diving – Spencer Bernat, Husson University
200 Backstroke – John Markillie, Maine Maritime Academy
100 Freestyle – Carson Trout, Maine Maritime Academy
200 Breaststroke – Aidan Walls, Maine Maritime Academy
200 Butterfly – Nathan Gilliam, Husson University
200 Freestyle Relay – Maine Maritime Academy (Carson Trout, Fox Fernald, John Driscoll, John Markillie)
400 Medley Relay – Maine Maritime Academy (John Markillie, Aidan Burke, Ryan Maher, Carson Trout)
200 Medley Relay – Maine Maritime Academy (John Markillie, Aidan Burke, Carson Trout, John Driscoll)
800 Freestyle Relay – Maine Maritime Academy (Aidan Walls, Ponce Saltysiak, Ryan Maher, James Creegan)
400 Freestyle Relay – Husson University (Brady Hand, Brayden Champlin, Alex Walsh, Ryan Emerson)
Sportsmanship Team
Gordon College – John Sullivan
Husson University – Ben Carusi
Maine Maritime Academy – Kyle Smit
SUNY Delhi - Sarthak Thapa