ERIE, Pa. – Junior Nick Kost (Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge) was named the 2015-16 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Swimmer of the Year and freshman Mark Patterson (North Huntingdon, PA/Norwin) was named Newcomer of the Year, announced on Friday.
Kost, Behrend's seventh Swimmer of the Year in school history, was named the 400 IM champion for the third year in a row and also won the 200 IM for the gold medal and the James E. Longnecker Invitational titles in both events at the championship meet. He posted an NCAA "B" cut time in the 400 IM (4:06.73), nearly 12 seconds faster than his preliminary time. In addition to being named first-team All-Conference in those two individual events, he was on the winning 400 and 800 free relays to finish with four first-team honors.
Patterson is the sixth freshman to earn Newcomer of the Year for the Lions. He is a six-time All-Conference choice, earning first team in five events including two individual and three relays. Patterson won the 200 freestyle and 200 backstroke, while swimming on the victorious 200, 400 medley relays and 800 free relay. He was a second-team choice for his second-place finish in the 500 freestyle. During the season, Patterson won 11 individual events and broke a five-year old record in the 1000 freestyle. After one season, he is in Behrend's Top 10 list in six different events.
Nick Roth (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) won every event he competed in at the AMCC Championships, earning him the highest-point scorer for the meet with 27. He is named All-AMCC first team in the 500 free, 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 400 medley relay, 200 medley relay, 800 free relay and the 400 free relay.
Freshman Nick Snyder (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) competed in his first conference championship and earned six first-team All-Conference honors. He won the 50 free and 100 free for individual gold medals, while swimming on the winning 200 free, 200 medley, 400 medley and 400 free relays.
Ty Elder (Brentwood, CA/Heritage), Blair Carson (Wellsboro, PA/Wellsboro) and Victor Nguyen (San Jose, CA/Evergreen Valley) were three-time All-AMCC selections. Elder swam on two winning relays (200 free, 400 free) and then placed second in the 100 freestyle for second-team honors.
Nguyen was the individual winner in the 100 breaststroke and helped the 400 medley relay win for first-team accolades, while earning second team in the 200 breaststroke. Carson was named to the first-team for the 200 medley relay and his win in the 200 breaststroke, edging Nguyen. He was then second team in the 100 breaststroke.
Nathan Wagner (Ypsilanti, MI/Lincoln) and Matt Myers (Cranberry Township) picked up All-Conference honors in the 200 freestyle relay. Ryan Elsey (Hermitage, PA/Hickory) and Jeremy Brosius (Hatboro, PA/Hatboro-Horsham) were selected to the second team for their second-place finishes in the 400 IM and 100 backstroke, respectively.
