YORK, Pa. (February 13, 2022)  – Junior Ali Kolenovic was named the David B. Eavenson Award winner after leading the Stevens Institute of Technology men's swimming team to its 10th straight conference championship Sunday at the 2022 Middle Atlantic Conference Championships, contested at the Graham Aquatic Center. 

Kolenovic won two gold medals on the final day of competition to bring his event total to seven. Individually, the Ridgefield, New Jersey native finished first in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke, along with the 500-yard freestyle. Kolenovic was also a part of four gold-medal winning relay teams, including Sunday's victorious 400-yard freestyle relay team. He totaled 96 individual points, including 32 Sunday, after winning the 200-yard backstroke in a MAC Championship record, and NCAA B cut time of 1:47.00 for his second record-breaking performance of the meet. Kolenovic won the race by nearly eight seconds. It is the second straight year that a Stevens men's swimmer earned the conference's highest individual honor. 

Kolenovic's efforts helped Stevens amass 1,480.5 points to win their 10th straight conference championship. The first seven came as members of the Empire 8 Conference. The Ducks totaled 13 gold medals, a pair of silvers and three bronze medals in winning their third consecutive MAC crown. Widener finished second with 1,022 points, with Arcadia (979.5), York (925) and Misericordia (679.5). After piloting the Ducks to a 458.5-point victory, first-year head coach Adam Schenider was named Coach of the Year.

"I cannot express how proud I am of both of our teams," Schneider said. "This season certainly had some unique challenges thrown our way, but we always found a way to make the most of the hands we were dealt and make ourselves better because of them."

"For the men, this meet went just about as well as we could have expected," Schneider continued. "Great swims from our entire group really made this team title truly feel like a full team victory.

"For Ali, winning MAC Swimmer of the Year is really a product of his unwavering hard work and determination to make himself better. Posting two NCAA "B" cuts in his main events really are a testament to his dedication to the sport. Ali truly earned all his successes this season, with hopefully more to come."

Joining Kolenovic in earning an individual award was first-year Edward Platonov, who was named the MAC's Rookie of the Year. Platonov swam in Sunday's championship 400-meter freestyle relay team for his fourth relay gold medal. Additionally, the Milford, Connecticut native also won three individual gold medals and one relay silver to total 96 individual points. Platonov broke the conference meet record time in the 200-yard individual medley in his championship meet debut. He is the first Duck to win the MAC's Rookie of the Year award and the first Stevens men's swimmer to earn a Rookie of the Year award since alumnus Tyler Zanki was recognized by the Empire 8 in 2017.

"For Ed, winning Rookie of the Year was a great accomplishment," Schneider commented. "I believe it's a harbinger of great things to come for him."

Stevens is the first men's program to sweep the conference's three major individual awards since Widener completed the trifecta in 2016. In just three years in the conference, the Ducks rank fourth all-time in major "Of The Year" awards. The Ducks' 28 championships rank 12th in MAC history and fourth among current conference members.

von Autenried won the 100-yard freestyle with a non-relay personal-best time 46.11 seconds to add to his impressive career totals. The Princeton Junction, New Jersey native topped the field by over a second to conclude his career on Castle Point with another conference title. First-year Cade Cermak also competed in the event and tied for sixth with a time of 47.79 seconds. von Autenried would swim his final collegiate event in the final race of the championship, teaming with Platonov, Cermak and Kolenovic to take gold in the 400 Free Relay, winning the race by over three seconds.

Senior Daniel Hold was the final Duck to medal, claiming bronze in the 200-yard backstroke, finishing the race in 1:55.95. First-year Zack Chirico finished right behind Hold with a time of 1:56.02. Fellow first-year Ryan Ward also made the final and finished sixth with a time of 1:57.38 and classmate Jack Martinek won the 'B' final with a time of 1:57.67.

The Ducks had three student-athletes swim in the 200-yard breaststroke. Sophomore Phong Tran was the top finisher, placing fourth with a time of 2:11.66, while senior Andrew Johnson finished sixth with a time of 2:12.30. First-year Liam Rodgers capped the Ducks' performance in the event with a seventh-place finish (2:12.50).

Additionally, first-year Thomas Haemmerle finished seventh in the 1,650 freestyle to earn 22 points for the Ducks' team total.

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