Unas, Sweeney Capture GNAC Major Swimming & Diving Awards

WINTHROP, Mass. – Senior Joshua Unas (Santa Clarita, Calif.) has been selected as the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year, while head coach James Sweeney was voted by his peers as the Men's Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year for the second straight time, as the conference postseason awards were announced Tuesday.

Unas rounded out his senior year in record fashion, winning all three of his events at the GNAC Championships back in February. At the New England Championships, he placed seventh, ninth and 10th while placing in the top seven in all four relays. He was a four-time GNAC Athlete of the Week, team captain, and team MVP, plus he was a member of the Regis pool record-setting 800 freestyle relay. He has placed 15 times in the Regis all-time top-20 lists, including 13 top-10 marks.

Sweeney, who has been at Regis since 2012, led the Pride men to a second-place team at the GNAC Championships en route to his second consecutive coaching honor. He has been an integral cog in the planning and execution of the GNAC Swimming & Diving Championship event, which for the first time in 2019 expanded to a three-day event.

The GNAC coaches also voted the Regis women's swimming and diving team as the winner of the Institutional Sportsmanship Award. Ryan Moran (Arlington, Mass.) represents the Pride women on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team, while Grant Kollien (Acton, Mass.) is Regis' All-Sportsmanship Team honoree on the men's side.

Unas and Kollien also received All-GNAC honors for their performances at the conference championships, as did GianCarlos Banrey (Roslindale, Mass.), Kevin Dugue (Roslindale, Mass.), Brendan Pike (Weymouth, Mass.), and Connor Schwarze (Melrose, Mass.) for the men.

On the women's side, Kyleigh Boatwright (Roseville, Calif.), Julia Burke (North Andover, Mass.), Alexa Lancisi (Milford, Mass.), Sarah Leonard (Brockton, Mass.), Katherine Mariano (Newton, Mass.), Elisabeth McQuaid (Marlborough, Mass.), and Jessica Zernitsky (Newton, Mass.) earned All-GNAC recognition for either finishing in the top three in an individual event or being part of a victorious relay.

This past Friday, the Regis swimming and diving team gathered together for the end-of-the-year banquet. As mentioned before, Unas was named the team MVP for the men's squad, while Leonard and McQuaid were chosen as the MVPs for the women's team.

For the women's team, Burke and Lancisi were named Most Improved, and Thalia Bowie (Lexington, Mass.) received the Coach's Award. On the men's side, Pike picked up Most Improved honors, and Gueincy Clodomir (Pembroke Park, Fla.) received the Coach's Award.

Before a slideshow reviewing the season closed out the program, seniors Meghan Caggiano (Quincy, Mass.), Mariano, Jennifer Marra (Groveland, Mass.), Schwarze, Ryan Tinney (Manchester, Conn.), Unas, and Lila Williams (East Bridgewater, Mass.) were given the opportunity to speak in front of their coaches and teammates about their collegiate experience.

Both the men's and women's swimming and diving teams finished second at the GNAC Championships and seventh at the NEISDA Championships. Additionally, McQuaid qualified for and competed in the NCAA Division III Diving Regional competition at MIT.