Worcester, Mass. (March 24) -- Freshman Shannon Quirk (Wakefield, Mass. / Wakefield Memorial) of the Assumption College swimming and diving team has been named 2015-16 Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Year for her impressive performance in her inaugural season, the league announced Thursday.
The award caps off a stellar season for the freshman in which she earned six NE-10 Rookie of the Week honors and was tabbed to the NE-10 Weekly Honor Roll three times.
During the season, Quirk set three school records including the 1000 freestyle, the 500 freestyle and the 1650 freestyle. She also notched an NE-10 record in the 1650 freestyle.
Quirk broke the Assumption 1000 freestyle record on November 21 at the Harold Anderson Invitational with her time of 17:22.60, shattering the previous record of 17:39.34. She set both the 500 and 1650 freestyle program records at the 2016 NE-10 Championships with times of 5:03.39 and 17:19.08, respectively to help lead the Hounds to their third straight NE-10 title.
Quirk came away with several medals in her first NE-10 Championship appearance including one gold (1650 freestyle), two silver (500 freestyle and 800 freestyle relay) and one bronze (200 freestyle). The 500 freestyle was Quirk's third school record and she also qualified for the NCAA B cut. In the 800 freestyle relay, the team qualified for the NCAA B cut and racked up 38 points for Assumption. In her third-place performance in the 200 freestyle, Quirk gained another top-three finish to help lead the Hounds to their third straight NE-10 Championship.
Quirk's honor marks the second straight season that the Hounds have boasted the NE-10 Rookie of the Year. Sophomore Niamh Morgan (Bettystown, Ireland / Sacred Heart School) earned the honor last season after also being named NE-10 Swimmer of the Meet at the 2015 NE-10 Championships.
For a complete list of the Greyhound program records, visit the Assumption College Swimming and Diving Record Book.
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