TROY, N.Y. - The Liberty League announced its weekly women’s and men’s swimming and diving awards and five Rensselaer student-athletes were honored for their contributions. The Engineers women swept the weekly honors as
Carly Antonucci,
Kelsey Manley and
Tina Belletete were named the Swimmer, Diver and Rookie of the Week, respectively.
Ben LeRose and
Adam Updegrove garnered Swimmer and Rookie of the Week on the men’s side.
Antonucci, a sophomore captain from Long Valley, N.J., finished third or better in each of the three events she competed in last week in a narrow 127-112 loss at Hamilton, including a pair of victories. She won the 200-breast with a time of 2:35.77 and helped the 400-medley relay team to a win with a mark of 4:11.58. This is the second Swimmer of the Week this season for the West Morris Central High School graduate, who also finished third in the 50-free (26.55).
A senior out of Southbury, Conn., Manley won the 3-meter event at Hamilton last week, and finished second off the 1-meter board to pace the Engineers' divers. She had 234.15 points in her victory and posted 228.97 points in the 1-meter event. Manley, who is a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy, is a four-time Diver of the Week selection this season, including each of the last two weeks.
Belletete, a freshman from Winchendon, Mass., swam to a pair of victories against the Continentals, winning the 500-free with a time of 5:25.60 and the 1000-free with a mark of 10:58.05. She also helped the 400-free relay team to second in a time of 3:51.95. Belletete has now garnered six weekly awards, including Swimmer of the Week on January 18. She is a former standout at Gardner High School.
A freshman from Williamsburg, Va., LeRose claimed his first Swimmer of the Week after finishing second or better in each of the three events he competed in a 130-1-2 loss to Hamilton, including a win in the 200-fly. His time of 1:59.88 was nearly two seconds better than the second place finisher (2:01.88). LeRose also swam to second in both the 200-free (1:46.67) and the 400-free relay (3:17.99). A graduate of Lafayette High School, he has now earned six weekly honors, including five Rookie of the Week selections.
Updegrove, who is a freshman from Carson City, Nev., picked up his first collegiate victory off the 1-meter board at Hamilton, posting 244.04 points. He also finished third in the 1-meter event with 212.70 points. One of the top performances this season for the Carson City High School graduate was against Skidmore on January 31, where he was second in the 3-meter event and fourth off the 1-meter board.
Both squads are now idle until the UNYSCSA State Championships in Syracuse, N.Y. The women kick things off on February 18-20, while the men’s squad will compete from February 26-28, also in Syracuse.