Former UF Swimmer Caulkins and Diver Neyer Honored by NCAA
Monday, March 20, 2006 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Former University of Florida student-athletes Tracy Caulkins and Megan Neyer have been named the Division I Most Outstanding Swimmer and Diver, respectively, for the past 25 years in NCAA championship competition, the NCAA announced. The accolade was given in conjunction with the NCAA's selection surrounding the 25th Anniversary of Women's Championships, and announced at the 2006 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.
Caulkins, who swam at Florida between 1982 and 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 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).
Caulkins also helped Florida win the 1982 NCAA Championship team title, and in 1982 and 1984, she received the Broderick Cup, awarded annually to the nation's top collegiate female athlete. Additionally, she was a GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America award recipient in 1983 and 1984, and also earned the NCAA Top Five Award (1984) and the NCAA Top Six Award (1985).
A 1985 University of Florida graduate with a degree in telecommunications, Caulkins (now Tracy Stockwell) currently resides with her husband Mark, who is also an Olympic medalist, in Brisbane, Australia. Caulkins now serves as the executive officer for the Queensland Academy of Sport, which provides assistance for Australia's elite athletes and coaches.
Neyer, a UF diver from 1982-84 and in 1986, won the NCAA Championship titles in the one-meter and three-meter diving competitions an unprecedented eight times during her four-year career. To this day, Neyer is the all-time winningest diver in the history of the sport, male or female.
Neyer earned All-America awards all four years in both springboard events, and was twice named ESPN's Athlete of the Week. Additionally, she was the recipient of the Olympia Award, and a member of Florida's 1982 National Championship team. Neyer's academic awards included first-team GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades in 1983, as well as a second-team selection in 1986. In 1986, she was also an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, and honored with the NCAA Top Six Award.
Presently, Neyer is the chief of diversity management at the Center for Character Development at the United States Air Force Academy. She is also the chairperson of the United States Olympic Committee Athletic Support Program at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The Division I Most Outstanding Swimmer and Diver of 25 Years of NCAA Women's Championships awards were chosen by a panel of current and former coaches and athletics administrators. In 1981, the NCAA began sponsoring women's championships, which opened the door to increased athletic and academic opportunities for female athletes.
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