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NCAA News Release
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NCAA Names Tracy Caulkins And Megan Neyer As The Division I Most Outstanding Swimmer And Diver In Honor Of The 25th Anniversary Of Women's Championships
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For Immediate Release
Thursday, March 9, 2006
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Contact(s)
Gail Dent
Associate Director of Public and Media Relations
317/917-6117
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INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA has announced that former University of Florida student-athletes Tracy Caulkins and Megan Neyer, have been named the Division I most outstanding swimmer and diver, respectively, over the past 25 years in NCAA championship competition. The honor was bestowed in conjunction with the NCAA's selection surrounding the 25th Anniversary of Women's Championships.
Caulkins, who swam at Florida from 1982 to 1984, claimed 16 national titles, including 12 individual crowns, which is more than any other swimmer in Division I swimming and diving history. She won titles in the 100-yard breaststroke (1984), 100-yard butterfly (1982), 200-yard butterfly (1982, 84), 100-yard individual medley (1982, 83), 200-yard individual medley (1982, 83, 84) and the 400-yard individual medley (1982, 83, 84). She also helped Florida win the 1982 NCAA Championship in team swimming. In 1982 and 1984, Caulkins received the Broderick Cup, awarded annually to the nation's top collegiate female athlete.
Caulkins graduated from Florida in 1985 with a degree in telecommunications. Additionally, she was a GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America in 1983 and 1984, and was also a recipient of the NCAA Top Five Award (1984) and the NCAA Top Six Award (1985).
Caulkins, now Tracy Stockwell, currently resides with her husband Mark, who is also an Olympic medalist like his wife, in Brisbane, Australia. Caulkins serves as the executive officer for the Queensland Academy of Sport, which provides assistance for Australia's elite athletes and coaches.
Neyer won the NCAA Championship titles in the one-meter and three-meter diving competitions an unprecedented eight times during her four-year career (1982, 83, 84, 86) at Florida. To this day, Neyer is the all-time winningest diver in the history of the sport for both male and female. In addition, Neyer earned All-America honors in all four years in both events. Neyer twice won ESPN's Athlete-of-the-Week award, once in 1984 and once in 1986, and was the recipient of the Olympia Award. Neyer also was a member of Florida's 1982 National Championship team.
Neyer earned a bachelors of arts degree in psychology from Florida in 1986; a masters in counselor education from Florida in 1990; and a doctorate in counselor education, with emphases in sport and health psychology, as well as women's issues, in August, 1994.
Neyer was a first-team GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America selection in 1983 and a second- team selection in 1986. In 1986, she was an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient and was a recipient of the NCAA Top Six Award, recognizing the combination of athletic prowess, academic achievement and community service.
Presently, Neyer is the chief of diversity management, Center for Character Development, at the United States Air Force Academy. Neyer is also the chairperson of the United States Olympic Committee Athletic Support Program at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
In 1981, the NCAA began sponsoring women's championships, which opened the door to increased athletic and academic opportunities for female athletes. Today, the NCAA sponsors 44 women's championships in 20 sports, providing more than 150,000 women with an opportunity to compete for national titles each year.
An NCAA panel selected the Most Outstanding Student-Athletes in the sport of swimming and diving. The panel consisted of current and former coaches and athletics administrators.
The NCAA 2006 Men's and Women's Division I Swimming and Diving Championships will be held March 16-18 at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.
The following NCAA women's sports are celebrating their 25th anniversary during the 2005-06 athletic season: Division I and III women's field hockey; Division I, II and III women's cross country; Division I, II and III women's volleyball; Division I, II and III women's swimming; Division I, II and III women's basketball; National Collegiate women's gymnastics; Division I, II and III women's tennis; Division I women's golf; Division I women's lacrosse; Division I women's rowing; Division I and II softball; and Division I, II and III women's outdoor track.
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