Lauren Boyle awarded Swimmer of the Year

Lauren Boyle has been awarded Swimming New Zealand’s Swimmer of the Year.

The announcement came at the sport’s annual awards in Auckland that follow the successful New Zealand Open Championships that doubled as a trial for the Rio Olympic Games.

Boyle enjoyed an outstanding 2015 season where she won two silver medals in the 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle at the FINA World Championships.

It takes her tally to five world championship medals, which is half the total won by New Zealand swimmers since their first podium in 1978. Boyle broke her own national records in the process

She finished the year ranked second in the world over 800m freestyle in 8:17.65, second in the world over 1500m freestyle in 15:40.14 and fifth in the world over 400m freestyle in 4:03.88.

Boyle also won five of six events on the FINA World Cup with three wins in the 800m freestyle and two in the 400m freestyle in Paris, Doha and Dubai.

Hamilton’s Eleanor Pinfold, an accomplished swimmer, event organiser and administrator, was named Masters Swimmer of the Year, and Hawkes Bay’s Noel Hargrave-Booth (Greendale Swimming Club), who will retire this year after more than 50 years as a coach, was awarded Coach of the Year.

Award recipients are:

New Zealand Swimming Trust – Zonal Emerging Swimmers: Harlequins – Willrich Coetzee (North Shore); Aquaknights Eliot Lundon-Moore (Aquabladz); All Stars – Chelsey Edwards (SwimZone); Makos – Sam McKenzie (Tasman).

New Zealand Swimming Trust Emerging Swimmer of the Year: Wilrich Coetzee (North Shore Swimming Club).

Performance Swimming Club of the year: North Shore Swimming Club

Bill Matson Technical Official of the Year: Dianne Farmer

Volunteer of the Year: Fiona Campbell (Wharenui Swimming Club), Canterbury)


Open Water Swimming of the Year (Annette Kellerman Trophy): Kane Radford (Swim Rotorua)

Past International Representative Certificates: Rebecca Ewert, Nikita Howarth, Laura quilter, Bradlee Ashby, Bobbi Gichard, Charlotte Webby.

Life Membership: Dave Gerrard

Swimmer 0f the Year with a Disability: Sophie Pascoe (QEII Swimming Club, Canterbury)

New Zealand Swimming Trust Special Award for Outstanding Achievements in 2015: Nikita Howarth (Te Awamutu Swimming Club).

Relay Team of the Year: NZ Men 4x100m Medley Team (Corey Main, Glenn Snyders, Bradlee Ashby, Matthew Stanley).

National Swimmer of the Year: Lauren Boyle (United Swimming Club, Auckland)

Swimming New Zealand Coach of the Year: Noel Hargrave-Booth (Greendale Swimming Club)

International Swimmer of the Year: Lauren Boyle

NZ Masters Swimmer of the Year: Eleanor Pinfold (Waikato)

New Zealand Swimmer of the Year (Baxter O’Neill Trophy) Lauren Boyle
Awards Dinner