TicketsMarch 3, 2007
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Senior Marcel Kleiner and Gerdien de Jong were named the Ann & Clem Buenger Most Valuable Swimmers at the University of Cincinnati swim team's annual awards dinner.
Kleiner (Heilbronn, Germany) recorded three individual and four relay top-five finishes at the BIG EAST Championships. He is listed in UC's all-time top 10 in three individual events and was part of the team that set the school record in the 200 Medley Relay. Kleiner is a two-time team captain, a CSCAA Honorable Mention Academic All-American and an inductee into the UC Legion of Excellence.
De Jong (Bussum, Netherlands) posted a pair of individual top 10 finishes and led UC to four relay top eights at the BIG EAST Championships. She is a part of the school-recording relay teams in the 400 Free Relay and 200 Medley Relay. She is in UC's all-time top 10 in three individual events, a CSCAA Honorable Mention Academic All-American and an inductee into the UC Legion of Excellence.
Kleiner was also given the men's Leadership Award, while senior Randi Vogel (Maineville, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) earned the honor for the women. Vogel placed fourth in the 200 back at the BIG EAST meet and posted two other top 15 finishes. She was also a part of four relay teams that placed in the top eight, including school-record holders in the 400 Free Relay and 200 Medley Relay.
Sophomore Bjorn Mates (Eislingen, Germany) and freshman Elinore de Jong (Bussum, Netherlands) were given the Peak Performance Awards. Mates set the school record in the 200 backstroke at the BIG EAST Championships and du Jong, younger sister of Gerdien, reached an NCAA `B' qualifying time in the 100 freestyle.
The Rookies of the Year were Josh Schneider (Cincinnati, Ohio/Taylor) and Alex Doyle (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula). Schneider earned three individual top 10 finishes at the BIG EAST Championships and Doyle had three top 15 finishes. The Most Improved Awards went to Rob Langford (Mason, Ohio/St. Xavier) and Jane Neyer (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula).