May 21, 2004
Columbia, Mo. - On April 30th the Missouri men's and women's swimming and diving teams held their annual team banquet to recognize this year's team and individual accomplishments. Several awards were presented to individual swimmers and divers based on their performances throughout the season.
The team MVP award went to junior Matt North for his outstanding performances during the dual meet and championship season. North proved to be a very versatile swimmer as he has become one of Missouri's all-time top breaststrokers and individual medley swimmers. Throughout the year North racked up the most first place finishes in dual meet competition of all the men's swimmers.
Hard work and determination helped sophomore David Darmitzel earn the team's Most Improved Swimmer award. Darmitzel devoted the summer after his freshman year to strenuous conditioning to help him get better for this past season. Darmitzel's off-season devotion allowed him to steadily improve his times throughout the season and mature into an elite athlete. Darmitzel has also been named co-captain of the men's team for the 2004-05 season.
When a new face joins a team, the coaches never really know what to expect, but RS-freshman Peter Willett blew away any expectations the Mizzou coaches may have had for him as he was named the Newcomer of the Year. A walk-on, Willett joined the team in the fall after taking a year off from swimming to focus on his academic interests. As soon as he jumped into the water Willett began winning races. Willett came to make a name for him as he became Missouri's top 500 and 1,000-yard events swimmer.
Sophomore diver Evan Watters is nothing short of amazing on the diving boards and the MU coaches noticed his accomplishments as Watters was named the men's Diver of the Year and Big 12 Performer of the meet. At Big 12's, Watters placed second on the 1-meter board, third on platform and fourth on 3-meter. At the NCAA Zone Diving Championships, Watters finished sixth overall as he placed third on platform, fifth on 3-meter and sixth on 1-meter.
The Michael J. Polkamp Memorial Award is presented on an annual basis to a member of the men's team that is team oriented and works behind the scenes to better help the team as a whole. This year's recipient of the award was junior Jacob Thomas. Thomas has also been named team co-captain for the 2004-05 season.