College Swimming & Diving: Rider's Funk, Hiller and O'Connor Honored by the MAAC

EDISON - Seniors Johnny Funk (Las Vegas, Nev./Southeast Career & Tech. Academy) and Kelly O'Connor (Beverly, Mass./Beverly) and junior Trevor Hiller (Galloway Twp.,/Absegami) of the Rider University men's and women's swimming and diving teams were honored by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 16).

Funk was named the MAAC Male Swimmer of the Week, O'Connor was named the MAAC Female Swimmer of the Week and Hiller was named the MAAC Male Diver of the Week for all competition the first week of the season.

On Oct. 13, Funk earned two first-place finishes this weekend against UMBC.  He won the 100-yard backstroke (52.15) and the 200-yard individual medley (1:57.91). He also led off the Broncs' second-place finish in the 200-medley relay.

In that same meet, swimming against both UMBC and James Madison, O'Connor took first in the 200-yard butterfly, coming in at 2:08.10 and placed second in the 200-yard backstroke (2:07.84).

In the diving competition against UMBC, Hiller, an NCAA qualifier last season, swept the individual diving titles winning the one-meter diving with a score of 286.50 and the three-meter dive with a score of 272.95.

Funk won MAAC gold as a junior in the 200 IM, 200 back and was a member of the winning 400 medley, 200 free, 400 free and 800 free relays, helping Rider to the MAAC team championship. 

As a junior, O'Connor repeated as MAAC champion in the 200 fly and also won the 400 IM as the Bronc women placed runner-up at the championships.

As a sophomore, Hiller was 18th in the finals at NCAA Zones on the one-meter board after placing 19th on the three-meter board.

Rider opens the 2012-13 home campaign this Thursday, swimming against Seton Hall at 5 p.m. at Coppola Pool in the Maurer Center on the Lawrenceville campus.