Source: AUS Communications

HALIFAX, N.S. - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2011-12 AUS swimming major award winners. The recipients are selected by the head coaches each year following the CIS championship and take into consideration performances at the national meet.

David Sharpe, a third-year science student from Halifax, N.S., had another exceptional season in the pool for the AUS champion Dalhousie Tigers and has been named the AUS male swimmer of the year.

Sharpe took home AUS gold in the 50m Backstroke, the 100m Backstroke, the 200m Butterfly, and 400m Medley Relay, setting new records in each event with the exception of the 50m Backstroke.

David was named the AUS championship swimmer of the meet, and at the CIS championship held in Montreal, he earned a CIS gold medal in the 200m Butterfly and bronze in both the 50m Backstroke and 100m Butterfly events. He was also named a CIS first team All-Canadian for the third consecutive year.

SWIMMER OF THE YEAR (Female): Meagan Bernier, Dalhousie

Meagan Bernier, a second-year student-athlete from Cole Harbour, N.S., is the 2011-12 AUS female swimmer of the year.

Bernier, who was the 2010-11 AUS rookie of the year, had another stellar season for the Tigers. At the AUS championship, she captured four individual silver medals and was a member of the gold medal winning 800m Freestyle Relay team. Her silver medals came in the 200m Free, 400m Free, 800m Free and the 400m Individual Medley.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (Male): Kyle Watson, Dalhousie

The 2011-12 AUS male rookie of the year is Kyle Watson from Dalhousie University.

Watson, a first year swimmer from Dartmouth, N.S., had a solid freshman season and was also named the top rookie at the AUS championship meet where he captured two gold medals and a silver medal. Kyle finished first in the 1500m Freestyle event, was a member of Dalhousie's 800m Freestyle Relay team that also finished first and also claimed a silver medal in the 400m Freestyle.

At his first CIS championship, Watson also posted a fifth place finish in the 1500m Freestyle final.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (Female): Molly Wedge, Dalhousie

The AUS female rookie of the year for 2011-12 is Molly Wedge from Dalhousie University.

Wedge, a first-year Science student from Summerside, P.E.I., had an impressive freshman season, setting Atlantic University Sport records in the 100m Freestyle (56:25), in the 4x400m Freestyle Relay (3:49:66) with teammates Michelle Campbell, Ceilidh MacPherson and Mary Claire Lynch and in the 4x800m Freestyle Relay (8:24:46) with Meagan Bernier, MacPherson and Lynch.

COACH OF THE YEAR (Male and Female): David Fry, Dalhousie University

Dalhousie Tigers head coach David Fry has been selected by his peers as the 2011-12 AUS coach of the year for both men's and women's swimming.

Fry, who has announced his retirement from coaching after an outstanding 30-year career with the Tigers swim program, once again led his teams to capture both AUS banners in 2011-12. In his 16 years as head coach, he has amassed 30 conference titles and he was also named CIS coach of the year for the women in 2003 and for the men in 2007.

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD (Male): Bryan Fumerton, Dalhousie

Bryan Fumerton of the Dalhousie Tigers is the 2011-12 AUS male student-athlete community service award recipient.

A fifth-year Science student from Uxbridge, Ont., Bryan is a two-time Academic all-Canadian and is working on a double major of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry.

A team captain for the past two years, he holds the AUS record in the 400m Freestyle and was last year's AUS Champion in the 400m Individual Medley.

In his spare time, Bryan is a volunteer musical entertainer at the Abby Lane Psychiatric Hospital and he also volunteers in patient care at the Chemotherapy ward at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax.

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD (Female): Kaitlyn Young, UNB

The 2012 recipient of the AUS female student-athlete community service award is UNB's Kaitlyn Young.

Kaitlyn, a chemical engineering student in the UNB Faculty of Science, is a butterfly specialist on the swim team that qualified for the 2012 CIS swimming championships in Montreal.

In the Fredericton community, Kaitlyn is a Sunday school teacher at St. Theresa's Catholic Church, serves meals at the Soup Kitchen and she is also a volunteer swim coach for the Henry Park swim team. On campus she is a volunteer tutor in the Joy Kidd Residence and 2011 she was a member of the UNB Orientation Committee for the 2011-12 academic year.

"Kaitlyn is an outstanding young woman. She has not only found the balance between athletics and a demanding academic program, she is also giving of her time to volunteer for worthy projects in the Fredericton community," commented UNB head coach Robin Ferdinand.

Young becomes just the second recipient of this award. UPEI's Kaylynne Parkes was named the inaugural recipient last year.

The 2012 Subway AUS swimming championship was hosted by Dalhousie University. Full results: http://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/mens/swimming/

The 2012 CIS swimming championship was hosted by the Université de Montreal. Full results: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/swim/2011-12/files/Complete_Results_2012.pdf