DENVER - Boise State's Amber Boucher and Nevada's Grace Huang have been named the Verizon WAC Swimmer and Diver of the week, respectively, for Jan. 12-18. This is the third time each athlete has earned the award this season.
Boucher, a junior from Keizer, Ore. (McNary HS), won two individual events and fueled the Broncos to four relay wins against Seattle in two meets spanning Jan. 14-15 in Boise, Idaho. Boucher was victorious in every event she swam in, including a victory in the 100-yard backstroke (56.28), an event she had never participated in before collegiately. Her time in the 100 back is a Boise-West YMCA pool record and is the fifth-fastest time in school history in the event. Boucher continued her season-long dominance of the 50-yard freestyle race as she took first place with a time of 23.56, which was just under a second shy of her WAC-leading time in the event. She also played an important part in the 400 medley, 200 medley, 200 free and 800 free winning relay teams. With Boucher's help, the Broncos were able to win their final two home meets of the season, running their dual record to 9-1.
Huang, a freshman from Kaohsiung City, Taiwan (Jhong Jheng HS), swept both diving events in Nevada's double dual against Cal State East Bay and UC Davis on Jan. 15 in Reno, Nev. She dominated the 1-meter finishing with a final score of 301.13, which was about 38 points more than the second-place finisher, Huang's teammate Heather Ramirez. Huang didn't disappoint on the 3-meter event either as she claimed that title with a score of 306.45. Huang helped the Wolf Pack beat Cal State East Bay 203-28, only to see them come up just short against UC Davis, losing 123-120.
Other swimmers nominated: Rayanne Nguyen, Fresno State; Andrea Kostecki, Nevada; Rudie Guerrero, San Jose State
Other divers nominated: Ciera Cortney, Boise State; Stacey Luke, Fresno State; Daniella Nero, Hawai'i