LOCK HAVEN, PA – So., Paul Demesy (Saint Ulrich, France) and freshman Daniel Dunigan (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) were among the honorees in the 2024 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) postseason swimming awards announced Friday afternoon.
 
Demesy, last year's Freshman of the Year, was tabbed Swimmer of the Year this season while Dunigan took home the Freshman of the year honors.  
 
Demesy, a two-time All-American at the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships earlier this month, placed third in the 1,650-yard freestyle and sixth in the 1,000 free. He was also 10th in the 500 free. His time of 15 minutes, 11.53 seconds in the 1650 free set a new PSAC record. All of that came on the heels of a very successful conference meet in which Demesy won two conference crowns and was all-conference in another race. He set a new championship meet record in the 1650 and was the PSAC champion in the 1000. He claimed all-conference accolades in the 500 free by finishing third and narrowly missed all-conference in the 200, placing fourth overall. His 72 points at the meet equaled teammate Kolos Nagy and served as the most earned by an individual at the championship meet.
 
Demesy is the 18th Golden Rams swimmer to take home Swimmer of the Year plaudits in the conference – but the first since current Assistant Coach Victor Polyakov completed an unprecedented four-year run as Swimmer of the Year in 2017. A total of 11 different WCU swimmers have won the award over that span.
 
Dunigan qualified for four events at the NCAA Championships and placed 15th in the 500 free and 18th in the 1000 free. He was 21st in the 1650 and 23rd in the 200 free as well.
 
At the conference meet, Dunigan helped the 800 free relay to a conference crown and took home three all-conference citations with runner-up performances in the 200 free, 1000 free and 1650 free. He was third in the 500 free. The 67 points he earned at the PSAC Championships was tops among freshman in the conference.
 
Dunigan becomes the 10th West Chester swimmer to earn PSAC Freshman of the Year, since the conference began recognizing first-year swimmers in 2005 and is the second year in a row that a West Chester swimmer has taken that honor.