Bishop, Walker add to weekend honors, share another

A pillow. A bite-sized candy bar. A toothbrush. Some things are just lousy to share. First-place trophies and national recognition, on the other hand, are a delight to share, especially with a teammate. Kansas swimmers Haley Bishop and Libby Walker added to their shared weekend haul when the duo were named CollegeSwimming.com’s co-Swimmers of the Week Tuesday.
 
The sophomore tandem was among seven total swimmers – five of whom swam at Lone Star Lake on Saturday – across three divisions to receive early season recognition from the online collegiate swimming source after tying for first place at the CSCAA National Collegiate Open Water Championship. The pair slapped the finish board at exactly the same time, closely followed by freshman Jenny Nusbaum, and helped host-school KU sweep the top three positions and the team title at the inaugural 5K event, which featured 68 competitors in two races.  
 
“For it to be my teammate – honestly, Libby is the most incredible distance swimmer, it was such an honor to be able to swim the whole race beside her,” Bishop said following the incredible finish Saturday, which was called a draw after photo and video review. “I knew she was going to kick it in at the end so I gave it all I could, all my sprinting power to finish. But it was an honor.”
 
The event also produced the top men’s Division II and Division III honorees, with men’s individual champion Stanislas Raczynski (Emmanuel College) and top DIII finisher Maclean Robertson (Albion College) earning Swimmer of the Week recognition. Ohio Wesleyan’s Anne Edwards was the top Division III finisher in the women’s race and was named Division III Women’s Swimmer of the Week.
 
In limited action elsewhere around the country, Delta State’s Caroline Jouisse earned CollegeSwimming.com’s Division II women’s honor after picking up a pair of NCAA ‘B’ cuts and second place finishes in the 500- and 1000-yard freestyle events in a dual with Alabama. That meet produced the top Division I men’s swimmer of the week with the Crimson Tide’s Laurent Bams winning three races, including an NCAA ‘B’ cut in the 100-yard freestyle.  
 
CollegeSwimming.com traditionally selects top swimmers by conference, an award Bishop claimed four times during a stellar freshman season in 2015-16, but due to the lack of a full slate of events selected singular winners from each level this week.
 
Kansas began its official team practices last week in preparation for the 2016-17 campaign, which has a soft open with the Crimson and Blue Intrasquad meet at Robinson Natatorium Sept. 30, before officially starting Oct. 21-22 with a double dual at home against Missouri State and North Dakota. 

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