The Victorian swimming community came together on Friday 23 June to celebrate the 2023 Swimming Victoria Awards in the Champions Room at MSAC.
Hosted by Melbourne Vicentre swimmer Sian Whittaker, the awards recognised swimmers, coaches, technical officials and volunteers for their outstanding achievements and contribution to Victorian swimming throughout the 2022/23 season.
Fresh from an impressive campaign at the Australian World Championships Trials which saw him selected on the Australian Dolphins team, Sam Williamson was awarded The Nicole Livingstone Trophy for Victorian Swimmer of the Year. The breaststroke specialist also took home the Linley Frame Trophy for Breaststroke which was presented to him by the Olympian and former World Champion.
Of course, Sam couldn’t have done it without the support of his coach, Craig Jackson and that’s why Craig was such a worthy recipient of the Jack Foster Trophy for the Victorian Coach of the Year. He was also presented with a Coaching Achievement Award for being selected as Head Coach of the Australia A Team which competed at the 2022 Phillips 66 National Championships in Irvine, USA.
In addition to Craig, we saw a number of Victoria’s finest coaches recognised for their achievements throughout the season, including Western Melbourne Propulsion’s Sebastian Bettiol who took home the Victorian Open Water Coach of the Year for the second year in a row and Kenrick Monk who won the Victorian Para Coach of the Year.
One of Kenrick’s swimmers, Nicholas Layton was rewarded for his outstanding performances across the season with the Ellie Cole Trophy for the Victorian Para Swimmer of the Year. With young gun Imogen Nolan from Surrey Park awarded the Victorian Age Para Swimmer of the Year. It was fitting recognition for Nicholas and Imogen as they prepare to represent Australia at the World Deaf Swimming Championships in August.
Nunawading Swimming Club once again proved itself as Victoria’s premier club, taking out the top spot in the Top 10 Club Award, ahead of Surrey Park and Geelong Swimming Club in equal second place. The powerhouse club also claimed the VASA Relay Trophy, The Victorian Premiership – Men & Women Awards and The Fred Blunt Trophy for the club scoring the highest aggregate points in the Victorian Long Course Championships.
Bendigo Hawks were awarded the Club of the Year for their outstanding achievements both in and out of the pool across the 2022/23 season. Their highlights included launching their new strategic plan, establishing a new partners program, appointing a new Coaching Director and growth in their membership experiences and social media followers. We look forward to seeing the Hawks continue to “grow the nest” in years to come.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of our sport, and our Volunteer of the Year Award recognises individuals who work tirelessly behind the scenes within the club environment. This year’s winner, Gary Chan from Nunawading Swimming Club is no exception. Gary’s positive attitude, enthusiasm, friendly personality, and knowledge greatly benefit the swimmers, especially the newcomers. Not only helping his own club, but also the whole swimming community.
Some of our most dedicated technical officials were recognised for their outstanding commitment to swimming. The Bill Slade Trophy for Technical Official of the Year went to Linda Anthonsen, with Tim Doyle taking home the Best New Official of the Year Award and Michelle Gristede presented with her 10 Years Service Pin.
Congratulations to all our award winners, to view the full list click here.
