April 10, 2002
By Student Assistant Sara Swenson
Betsworth Nominated for Honda Award
Freshman freestyler Diana Betsworth (East Moline, Ill./United Township) has been recognized nationally as the swimming and diving nominee for the Honda Award, which honors the Division II Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.
The 25-year old program recognizes the top woman collegiate athlete in each sport. In late May, all D-II senior woman administrators will choose a final award recipient from among this group of athletes. Betsworth is currently one of six nominees.
Betsworth's nomination comes at the culmination of a record-breaking year in the pool. As an integral part of Truman's 2002 NCAA D-II National Champion women's swimming team, she was dubbed the Women's Swimmer of the Meet after winning five titles and scoring the most points at the national competition. Betsworth's three individual titles came in the 200-, 1,000-, and 1,650-yard freestyle races. Her performance in the 200-yard freestyle broke an 11-year old NCAA record, while her time in the 1,000-yard freestyle updated last year's record set by former Truman swimmer and current assistant coach Jess Martin.
Betsworth also was a member of the national champion 800-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard freestyle relay teams, both of which also broke NCAA records set in the early 1990s. Betsworth placed second in the 100-yard freestyle and second as a member of the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Betsworth's honors so far this season mirror those bestowed upon Martin last season, who also was honored as the 2001 Women's Swimmer of the Meet at the D-II National Championships and later as the recipient of the Honda Award. Should Betsworth be this year's award winner, Truman would be the first Division II school to boast the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year two years in a row.
The Honda Awards program also recognizes the schools of the award winners. Because of Betsworth's nomination, the program will donate $1,000 to the women's athletic fund at Truman. The Honda Award winner's school also will receive an additional $5,000. The winner will receive her award on June 17, 2002 in Dallas at the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Banquet.