NYU freshman swim team wins prestigious awards

“Violets” won UAA Rookie of the Year awards for women and men.

Despite swimming against opponents who were older and more experienced, NYU freshmen Kayleigh McIntyre and Leo Khan maintained their composure, met their expectations and excelled in their competition, winning the coveted Rookie of the Year award at the UAA Championships in Atlanta. last week.

At the conclusion of the meeting, McIntyre and Khan received their awards, which the University Athletic Association awards to the male and female competitor with the highest score at the event. The NYU women’s team placed third and the men’s team placed fifth.

“I was going to competitions to have fun and try my best,” said McIntyre, who went to school in California. “The freshmen didn’t have any expectations, so it was all about gaining experience.”

McIntyre’s success was more than enough for her to win the most prestigious award among UAA freshmen.

“Winning Rookie of the Year was awesome because so many freshmen deserved it,” she explained. “Being selected out of everyone was very rewarding.”

In addition to the Rookie of the Year award, McIntyre also received the competition’s top honor for her performance on the NYU women’s swim team. Her individual swimming scores were 92 points, the highest of any female swimmer who competed.

Khan, a colleague of McIntyre’s on the men’s team, shared his surprise at receiving the coveted award. Like McIntyre, Khan explained that he didn’t have much expectations for the Championship.

“I wanted to immerse myself in this experience since it was my first year,” he said.

Surprisingly, Khan’s experience was revealed in full force, and he did not even realize that he would receive an award.

“After meeting on Friday, I realized that I might be up for an award,” Khan explained. “It was a great way to complete the events and races I entered.”

While the Violets didn’t take the top spot overall, their freshmen definitely raised the bar for NYU’s future swimming. The team hopes that the baton will be passed on to future Violets for years to come.

Contact Nicole Ranilet by phone [email protected]