Hopkin Named 2020 SEC Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year
AUBURN, Ala. – Senior swimmer Anna Hopkin has been selected as the 2020 Women’s Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the Southeastern Conference.
Hopkin, a Preston, England, native, is pursuing a graduate degree in kinesiology with a 4.0 grade point average. She has been named to the University of Arkansas Chancellor’s List all three semesters she has been enrolled. She also earned the 2019 NCAA/CSCAA All Academic Scholar-Athlete award and is a 2019 NCAA All-American (50 and 100 free).
In dual meets this season, the senior captain won first place in 20 of 23 individual events, finishing on the podium in all 23 races. She broke the meet record in both the 50 (21.19) and the 100 (47.05) free at the Mizzou Invitational, and her 50 free time at the meet gave her a new personal best and the pool record.
In her career as a Razorback, the senior has registered more than 14 NCAA ‘A’ cut times, broken four individual school records (50 free, 100 free, 200 free and 100 fly) a total of 15 times in just 17 months and has been a part of four school-record relays (200 free relay, 400 free relay and 200 medley relay), which have been broken a total of seven times.
Currently, the sprinter is an NCAA runner-up in the 100 free and in the national rankings. She is tied for second in the 50 free (21.19) and ranks third in the 100 free (46.56) and eighth in the 200 free (1:44.40). She set the fastest 50 split time (20.27) in NCAA history earlier this week at the SEC Championships. At the 2019 World Championships, Hopkin placed seventh in the 50 free (24.40).
This week, Hopkin is competing in her second SEC Championship in Auburn, Ala. On night two, Hopkin helped the 200 medley relay team break the school record, touching in at 1:27.93. The time was also an NCAA automatic cut, and she went on to swim the fastest 50 split in NCAA women’s history (20.27). The senior earned a second-place finish, NCAA ‘A’ cut qualifying time and the first medal for the Hogs at the 2020 SEC Championships with a 21.44 in the 50 free finals. Hopkin claimed her second silver of the championships, setting a new personal best in the 200 free with a 1:42.35 to break her own school record by over two seconds and earn another NCAA ‘A’ cut time.
QUOTING HEAD COACH NEIL HARPER
“Each SEC school nominates the best candidate and so this is the best of the best. I think Anna’s success in the classroom completing her master’s degree with a 4.0 and the success she had at the NCAA Championships and World Championships this past summer just elevated her level of achievement. This award is voted on by all the head coaches so it is an amazing honor in the company of so many highly successful SEC caliber student-athletes.”
Hopkin will be swimming in the 400 medley relay tonight. Saturday concludes the 2020 SEC championships, and she is set to make her senior debut in the 100 free and 400 free relay.
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