COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Three Oakland men's swimming and diving alumni were named among the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association's (CSCAA) 100 Greatest Men's Swimmers and Divers of the past century on Tuesday morning.
The three honorees were Tracy Huth, Dario DiFazio, and Mark VanderMey. A blue-ribbon panel of current and former college swimmers, coaches, and media members selected the 100 swimmers and divers from a list of 973 finalists and a pool of nearly 3,000 nominated athletes. The selections were made as part of the CSCAA's 100th year.
"What a tremendous honor it is for Oakland University to have its two best swimmers and our greatest diver be recognized in this way," longtime head coach
Pete Hovland said. "I cannot say enough about Tracy Huth, Mark VanderMey, and Dario DiFazio. Their individual accomplishments are certainly deserving of being selected amongst the Top 100 Swimmers & Divers in CSCAA history."
Click here the see the full list and release by the CSCAA.
Tracy Huth
As a student-athlete, Huth was named CSCAA Division II Swimmer-of-the-Year three times before coaching the Grizzlies to five NCAA titles. Huth holds the distinction of being the only college swimmer, male or female, to have won the 200- and 400 individual medley in each of his four seasons.
National Titles: 1981: 200 IM 1:53.58, 400 IM 4:03.03 / 1982: 200 IM 1:54.00, 400 IM 4:02.47 / 1983: 200 IM 1:53.05, 400 IM 4:02.90 / 1984: 200 IM 1:52.39, 400 IM 4:00.17
Other: 4x Champion 200 IM, 4x Champion 400 IM
Hovland: "Tracy's eight individual victories and records in both the 200 and 400 individual medleys over his four-year career while also being selected the Swimmer of the Year all four years was unprecedented at the time."
Mark VanderMey
VanderMey was a five-time NCAA Championship and 28-time All-American, including four that were achieved at the Division I Championships. A former member of the USA National team, he was named CSCAA Division II Swimmer-of-the-Year in 1988 after capturing the 100- and 200 breaststrokes and 200 individual medley.
National Titles: 1986: 100 Breast 56.92 / 1987: 100 Breast 55.59 / 1988: 100 Breast 55.17, 200 Breast 1:59.19, 200 IM 1:50.31 /
Other: 1988 Division 2 Swimmer of the Year / 3x Champion 100 Breast
Hovland: "Mark's individual championships in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the Division II championships and his All-American status and top-eight finishes at the Div I championships set him apart from all others."
Dario DiFazio
In just two seasons at Oakland, DiFazio became a national champion three times, was titled CSCAA Division II Diver-of-the-Year, and was a vital part of two national team championships. At one time, the two-time Venezuelan Olympian held every school, pool, and GLIAC record in both the one-meter and three-meter boards. To date, his three-meter record still stands.
National Titles: 1994: 1 Meter 618.7, 3 Meter 556.4 / 1995: 3 Meter 556.65 / /
Other: 1994 Division 2 Diver of the Year
Hovland: "In platform diving, Dario had no equal. As a JUCO transfer, Dario established records for both the one-meter and three-meter diving events. His records set in '87 & '88 have stood for over 30 years."
