Soni Named USA Swimming's Female Athlete Of The Year
November 23, 2010 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Nov. 23, 2010
Former USC NCAA champion Rebecca Soni was named Female Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row, highlighting three awards she received at the seventh annual USA Swimming Foundation Golden Goggle Awards in New York on Monday (Nov. 22).
In addition to winning Female Athlete of the Year, Soni took home the Female Race of the Year honor for her title-winning 200y breaststroke swim at the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine. Soni also was part of the Relay Performance of the Year honoring the U.S. 4x100m medley relay win, also at the Pan Pacs.
Soni won the 200y breast in 2:20.69, crushing the Pan Pac record of 2:23.64 (Penny Henys, 1999) as well as her own top-ranked time of 2010, which was 2:21.41. Her winning effort was good for the sixth-fastest time ever, a list that includes two of her own swims (2:20.22 and 2:20.38).
The 2008 Olympic gold medalist also won the Pan Pac title in the 100m breast and won both breaststroke events at the 2010 Summer Nationals.
USC fifth-year head coach Dave Salo was recently named to serve on the USA Swimming coaching staff as an assistant women's coach for the World Short Course Championships to be held in Dubai, Dec. 15-19. The coaching assignment is the latest appointment for Salo in a long line of stints on U.S. national teams, including a head coach position at the 2005 World Championships.
USC sophomore Haley Anderson, a 2010 All-American who swam for the U.S. at the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships, was named to the U.S. National Team that will compete at the 2011 World University Games, Aug. 14-19, in Shenzhen, China.
Players Mentioned
