The Pac-12 Conference announced the recipients of the 2024 Pac-12 Women’s Swimming & Diving postseason awards on Thursday, as voted on by the league's coaches. In a series of firsts, California’s Isabelle Stadden took home her first Women’s Swimmer of the Year award while USC’s Minna Abraham became the second Trojan to be named the Pac-12 Women’s Swimming Freshman of the Year. Wrapping up the swim awards was USC Head Coach Lea Maurer, who received her second Swimming Coach of the Year award and first as the head of the Trojans. 

Continuing on the trend of firsts was USC's Nike Agunbiade who was named Pac-12 Women’s Diver of the Year for the first time in her career while Utah’s Richard Marschner became Utah’s first Women’s Diving Coach of the Year. Rounding out the 2024 postseason awards was Utah's Emilia Nilsson-Garip who was named Pac-12 Diving Freshman of the Year. 

PAC-12 WOMEN’S SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: Isabelle Stadden, Sr., CALIFORNIA (Blaine, Minn.)

For the first time in her career, California’s Isabelle Stadden has been named the Pac-12 Women’s Swimmer of the Year. 

At the conclusion of the regular season, Stadden led DI swimmers in the 200 Back and held a top-3 time in the 100 back to help the Bears sweep the conference in the backstroke events. Contributing 146.5 points to their overall total at the Conference Championships, Stadden helped her Golden Bears to their sixth Pac-12 Championship title, and first since 2021. On the Pac-12 stage, the senior swept the backstroke events, winning her first 100 Back title and third 200 back title to become just the second Pac-12 athlete to win three 200 back titles and the first since 1994 (Lea Loveless, STAN). With the help of her teammates, Stadden spearheaded the Bears second consecutive 200 Medley Relay win. Swimming the third fastest time in the country (1:33.89), the Lady Bears broke a Pac-12 Championship record that had been held for six years. Stadden went on to finish second in the 200 free and 400 medley relays. 

At the NCAAs, Stadden was one of two Pac-12 athletes to finish runner-up and the only Golden Bear to see the second place podium. With the best finish of her career, Stadden placed second in the 100 back, going on to barely miss the podium in the 200 back and 200 medley relay. 

By the end of the season, Stadden collected the second most points in the conference (194.5) and the most NCAA points (48). This is Stadden’s first Pac-12 Women’s Swimming Postseason award. 

PAC-12 WOMEN’S FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Minna Abraham, Fr., USC (Budapest, Hungary) 
After scoring the most points of any other swimmer in the league (197), USC’s Minna Abraham has been named the Pac-12 Women’s Swimming Freshman of the year. 

During the regular season, Abraham swam multiple NCAA DI top-5 times, entering the Championship season with a top-2 time in the country in the 200 free and top-5 times in the 400 medley relay and 800 free relay. At the Pac-12 Championships, the freshman swept the short distance freestyle events and assisted in winning the three relays for the Trojans. The 17-year old set a new personal record in the 100 free and anchored the Trojans first-ever 200 free relay win, first 400 medley relay win since 2009 and second ever 400 free relay win. 

At the NCAA Championships, Abraham was one of just 22 Pac-12 swimmers to collect points in the individual events and was the highest scoring relay swimmer in the league. She swam a 1:41.96 in the 200 free to capture her first ever NCAA Championships podium finish (3rd).

At the conclusion of her freshman season, Abraham holds NCAA DI top-5 times in the 200 Free (4th - 1:41.38), 200 free relay (5th - 1:26.47), 800 free relay (5th - 6:53.54) and 400 medley relay (5th - 3:25.76). Abraham is the second Trojan to be named Freshman of the Year (Kaitlyn Dobler - 2021).  

PAC-12 WOMEN’S SWIMMING COACH OF THE YEAR: Lea Maurer, USC
For just the second time in her career, and first time as the leader of the Trojans, USC Head Coach Lea Maurer has been named the Pac-12 Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year. Maurer made history with the Trojan’s in the 2023-24 season as she led them to their first-ever 9-0 undefeated season, securing the most regular season wins in conference history. During the run, the Trojans took down both California and Stanford, with the then-No.7 Trojans upset both conference foes in one season for the first time since 1996.

At the Pac-12 Championships, USC wrapped up their performance with a 1291 point, second place finish after taking home their most event wins since 2003 (9). To cap off the season, the Trojans finished eighth at the NCAAs, marking the Women of Troy’s best finish since 2016, with 200 points even, two third place finishes (100 breast - Kaitlyn Dobler; 200 Free - Minna Abraham) and two new school records (200 free relay and 400 medley relay).

This is Maurer’s second time winning the award, with the first coming in 2010 when she was Head Coach for the Stanford Cardinal. She is now just the third USC coach to receive the honor. 

PAC-12 WOMEN’S DIVER OF THE YEAR: Nike Agunbiade, GS., USC (Pacifica, Calif.)
Four years after being named the 2020 Pac-12 Women’s Diving Freshman of the Year, graduate student Nike Agunbiade has been named the 2024 Pac-12 Women’s Diver of the Year, for the first time in her career. 

The California native led the conference in the Platform diving event at the conclusion of the regular season after being the first Trojan to win the Pac-12 title in the event in 2023. At the 2024 Pac-12 Championships, Agunbiade went on to become the first Trojan to win back-to-back platform titles, also securing a runner-up finish in the 1 Meter event. 

On the national level, the Trojan was the Conference’s sole NCAA diving podium finisher and the only Women of Troy diver to collect any points, taking home third on the 1-meter for her career-best NCAA finish (319.50). Agunbiade capped out the season having collected almost 20 points more than any other Pac-12 diver. 

Agunbiade is the first new diver since 2020 to win the award after Arizona’s Delaney Schnell took home the last three. 

PAC-12 WOMEN’S DIVING FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Emilia Nilsson-Garip, UTAH (Malmoe, Sweden)
In her first season as a Ute, Emilia Nilsson-Garip made history, earning her the Pac-12 Women’s Diving Freshman of the Year award. On day one of the 2024 Pac-12 Diving Championships, Nilsson-Garip wrote her name in the history book as she became the first Utah diver to win a Pac-12 title, taking home first on the 1-Meter (321.65). 24 hours later, the freshman placed first on the 3-Meter to sweep the springboard events, becoming the first Ute to win two Pac-12 diving titles. In the process, Nilsson-Garip took home the highest scoring 3M dive in program history, topping a 10 year old record. 

At the NCAAs, the freshman secured first in the 1-Meter consolation final, capturing nine points and being one of just six Pac-12 divers to compete in the NCAA finals. Her finish was the highest-ever by a Utah diver on the 1M. At the conclusion of the postseason she collected more points than any other conference freshman and collected the fifth most of any Pac-12 diver (73). 

Nilsson-Garip is the second Utah diver to win Pac-12 Women’s Diving Freshman of the Year (Holly Waxman, 2022).  

PAC-12 WOMEN’S DIVING COACH OF THE YEAR: Richard Marschner
For the first time in his career, Utah’s Richard Marschner has been named the Pac-12 Women’s Diving Coach of the Year. Helping his team to 212 points at the Pac-12 Championships, Marschner saw at least two divers in each of the three diving finals, with two first place finishes and two fourth place finishes. Marschner sent three divers to the NCAAs with two collecting points in the consolation finals. For the first time in program history the Utes had two All-Americans in one season, with Holly Waxman and Emilia Nillson-Garip earning the honor on the 1M. This is Marschner’s, and Utah’s, first Diving Coach of the Year award.