SOUTH EASTON, MA – The College of Saint Rose sophomore
Vadim Yafayev put the finishing touches on a stellar campaign by being named the 2009-10
Northeast-10 Conference Swimming & Diving ‘Swimming Athlete of the Year’. The voting was done by the league’s head coaches.
Yafayev was named the Most Valuable Swimmer at the NE-10 Championships in February. He stood out by setting meet records in the both the 200 and 400-yard individual medley throughout the three-day meet. Yafayev qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships in three events, garnering honorable mention All-America honors in the 400 IM with a ninth place time of 4:00.23. He also finished 18th in the 200 IM and 20th in the 100 backstroke behind a school record time of 51.76.
Yafayev currently owns individual school records in the 100 backstroke and the 200 IM (1:52.06). The latter was established at last year’s NCAA Championships in Houston where he also earned honorable mention All-America accolades in the 400 IM.
With 16 member institutions, the Northeast-10 shares the distinction of being the largest Division II conference in the country along with the PSAC and WVIAC. Its 23 championship sports provide athletic opportunities for over 5,500 student-athletes, the largest such program of any Division II conference.