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Eleven USC Swim and Dive Alumni Selected to CSCAA's 100 Greatest Swimmers and Divers List

Nov 9, 2021

The College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America announced Tuesday (Nov. 9) its 100 Greatest Swimmers and Divers, with USC landing six to the men's list and five to the women's list that represents the last century of collegiate swimming and diving. 
 
Representing Southern California on the list of men's honorees are Charles Bittick, Joe Bottom, Murray Rose, Roy Saari, Dave Wharton and John Naber. The group of six combined for 54 NCAA individual titles, numerous NCAA team titles and 58 All-American honors.

Kristine Quance, Lindsay Benko, Blythe Hartley, Rebecca Soni and Katinka Hosszu were named to the prestigious women's list, representing 30 individual national titles and over 85 All-American honors during their collegiate careers. 

Between the two lists, nearly 6,000 former student-athletes were nominated, with a blue-ribbon panel of current and former college swimmers, coaches, and members of the media making selections from the list of finalists. On the men's side, 86 swimmers and 14 divers were selected. For the women, a total of 87 swimmers and 13 divers were named to the list.  

Founded in 1922, the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), is the nation's first organization of college coaches. The mission of the CSCAA is to advance the sport of swimming and diving with coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy, and professional development.

The CSCAA's 100th birthday celebration will continue with upcoming announcements recognizing Centennial MVP's for each team along with a listing of the 100 Greatest Coaches, 100 Alumni of Impact. The anniversary will culminate with the Association's convention and awards banquet, May 2-4, 2022 in Rosemont, Illinois.

Charles Bittick | El Reno, Canada | Class of 1961
            Bittick was one USC's greatest two-sport aquatic athletes, winning four NCAA individual titles, helping the Trojans win the 1960 NCAA Team Championship and captaining the 1961 squad which placed second. He also won six AAU individual crowns, five Pac-10 titles and was a three-time All-American. Bittick represented the United States at the 1960 Olympics in Water Polo. 

Joe Bottom | Akron, OH | Class of 1977
            Bottom contributed to three USC National Championship teams (1974-75-77), won nine NCAA titles (five individual, four relay) and was a 20-time All-American. In 1977 he captained USC's undefeated national championship team and became the first college swimmer ever to crack 20 seconds in the 50 free (19.70). Bottom also won eight Pac-10 titles (six individual, two relay). 
 
Murray Rose | Birmingham, Great Britain | Class of 1962
            Rose contributed to USC's 1960 NCAA Team title, was a five-time NCAA champion and seven-time All-American while at USC. In 1961 Rose earned Swimmer-of-the-Year honors after sweeping the 220, 440 and 1500-meter freestyle. The 1962 team captain, Rose won eight Pac-10 titles, eight AAU meet titles and was named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team in 2016. 

Roy Saari | Buffalo, NY | Class of 1966
            Saari helped the Trojans to three NCAA team titles, was a nine-time NCAA individual Champion and two-time NCAA relay champion while competing at USC. Saari won three individual events in each of the 1964, 1965 and 1966 seasons and finished his career with fourteen All-America honors and eight conference titles (six individual, two relay). In 2016 he was selected to the Pac-12 All-Century Team.
 
Dave Wharton | Albington Township, PA | Class of 1991
            Wharton was a seven-time NCAA individual champion and 20-time All-American. He captured three titles in the 200 individual medley and four-straight wins in the 400 individual medley. A four-time Pac-10 Male Swimmer-of-the-Year, Swimming World 1987 American Swimmer-of-the-Year and four-time Pac-10 champion (three individual, one relay). Wharton was selected to the Pac-12 All-Century Team. 

John Naber | Evanston, IN | Class of 1977 
            Unbeaten in the backstroke events over his four years, Naber won ten individual and five NCAA relay titles as a Trojan. Naber's efforts helped USC to four consecutive NCAA team titles. As a fourteen-time All-American and nine-time individual Pac-10 Champion, he earned a spot on the Pac-12's All-Century team and received the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award in 2002. 
 
Kristine Quance | Northridge, CA | Class of 1997
            Quance, a nine-time individual NCAA champion, five-time conference champion and 23-time All-American, was the recipient of two Honda Sport Awards and a pair of CSCAA Swimmer-of-the-Year honors. She tallied nine USC records, contributed to an NCAA relay title for the Trojans and captained the Trojan's 1997 NCAA title-winning women's team. 
 
Lindsay Benko | Elkart, IN | Class of 1999
            Benko, who helped USC to a National Championship team title in 1997, was a five-time NCAA champion, 21-time All-American and reached the NCAA finals in all twelve individual events in which she competed. After winning six Pac-10 titles, Benko was named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team and inducted into the USC hall of fame. 
 
Blythe Hartley | Edmonton, Canada | Class of 2005
            Hartley was a five-time NCAA Champion diver while competing at USC, reaching the finals of every NCAA event in which she competed as a Trojan. The twelve-time All-American was named the CSCAA and Pac-10 Diver-of-the-Year a record three times and selected to the Pac-12 All-Century Team.        
          
Rebecca Soni | Freehold, NJ | Class of 2009
            Soni dominated the breaststroke events, winning four consecutive 200 breast NCAA titles and two additional 100 breast titles en route to five NCAA records and eleven All-America honors. Soni was named Swimming World's 2009 Swimmer-of-the-Americas and after tallying eight Pac-10 titles (six individual, two relay) and two Pac-10 Tom Hansen Conference Medals was selected to the Pac-12 All-Century Team. 
 
Katinka Hosszu | Pecs, Hungary | Class of 2012
            A 2011 Honda Award Winner and CSCAA Swimmer-of-the-Year, Hosszu won five NCAA titles and was a seven-time individual conference champion. In addition to being a five-time school record holder and 20-time All-American, Hosszu was named the 2011 Pac-10 Women's Swimmer-of-the-Year and was a nominee for Best Female College Athlete of 2011 at the ESPYs. 
 
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