TROY, N.Y. – The Liberty League has announced its weekly women’s and men’s swimming & diving awards and three Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athletes have been recognized. Sophomore
Aimee Catroppa was named the women’s Swimmer of the Week while junior
Matthew Culen and
Kevin Canada earned Diver and Rookie of the Week, respectively, for the men.
Catroppa, who hails from Scotia, N.Y., helped propel RPI to a 185-108 dual meet victory over Vassar after winning three individual events and helping the 200-medley relay team to victory. She won the 100-butterfly in a time of 1:02.61 and then captured a win in the 200-fly with a time of 2:15.94. Catroppa also won the 200-breaststroke (2:31.64) and swam the third leg of the victorious 200-medley relay (1:56.44).
The Liberty League Rookie of the Year as a freshman, Catroppa has posted at least one victory in each of the team’s four meets this season. Among her top performances came against Hartwick where she finished first in the 200-fly and helped the 400-medley relay team to victory. Catroppa is a graduate of Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa High School.
A native of Pelham, N.Y., Culen posted a record setting performance in the 1-meter event to help RPI to a 166.5-109.5 dual meet victory over Vassar. Posting a score of 295.95, he made an NCAA National “A” Cut and shattered both the school and pool records in the event. He also won the 3-meter competition with 265.13 points.
This is the second Diver of the Week for the Pelham Memorial High School graduate, who has won off both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards in each of the three meets he has competed in this season. A four-time National All-American Honorable Mention, he has helped RPI to a 3-1 record this year.
Canada, a native of Colchester, Vt., garnered Rookie of the Week honors after winning the 100-backstroke in a time of 56.92 in the win against the Brewers. He also competed in the 200-back, placing first as an exhibition swimmer.
A graduate of Colchester High School, Canada has finished in the top five of each event he has entered through four meets. One of his top performances came in the season-opening victory at Roger Williams where he finished second in both the 1000-freestyle and the 200-IM.
Both teams return to the pool on November 30 and December 1 at the Liberty League Championships, hosted by Union College.
