Maggie MacNeil, coach Drew Livingston earn SEC women’s swimming and diving awards

MacNeil was the Female Swimmer of the Year, while Livingston was named the Women’s Diving Coach of the Year.

BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU swimmer Maggie MacNeil and diving head coach Drew Livingston received end-of-season awards from the Southeastern Conference, the league office announced Wednesday.

MacNeil earned the second SEC Female Swimmer of the Year honor in LSU’s women’s program history after an outstanding graduate season. In addition to pursuing her master’s degree in the classroom and maintaining a GPA over 4.0, her success in the pool was unlike any other swimmer in school history.

At the 2023 NCAA Championships, the London, Ontario, Canada product had the opportunity to add to her two national titles. Competing in the 50-yard free, 100-yard fly and 100-yard free, MacNeil qualified for the championship final in each event.

She won her third NCAA title in the 50-free after throwing down an NCAA record 20.79. The time also broke the U.S. Open, NCAA meet, LSU school, and pool marks. In addition, she took home silver in the 100-fly with a time of 48.51 and claimed bronze in the 100-free with a time of 46.58.

In her one and only SEC Championship appearance, MacNeil led the way with three individual gold medals. She won conference championships in the 50-free, 100-fly, and 100-free. MacNeil was also a part of the first relay victory at the conference meet since 1986. The Tigers won the 200-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard freestyle relay. The LSU women closed the meet with the most gold medals at a single SEC’s in school history with eight.

Livingston, who joined the program last June and replaced a diving legend in Doug Shaffer, was named the Female Diving Coach of the Year. Not even a year removed from his arrival in Baton Rouge, Livingston made a statement with his diver’s performances. This recognition marks the second straight season an LSU diving coach has received this honor.

He coached the women’s diving squad to an SEC title and a runner-up on the tower at NCAA’s. Montserrat Gutierrez Lavenant completed both feats with the first SEC title on platform for the program since Cassie Weil in 2015. Lavenant also finished in second at the NCAA Championships becoming the first diver to finish in the top three on platform at the national meet since 2001.

Livingston coached a total of six divers through NCAA diving zones, qualifying each one for their respective championships. On the women’s side, LSU’s four qualifiers finished with two All-American honors from Lavenant and Chiara Pellacani.

The SEC also announced the athletes to receive to the Commissioner’s Trophy at the conference meet, along with All-SEC teams and the All-SEC Freshman teams.

Commissioner’s Trophy

Men

Jordan Crooks, Tennessee

Bryden Hattie, Tennessee

Baylor Nelson, Texas A&M

Women

Maggie MacNeil, LSU

All-SEC First-Team

Women

Kalia Antoniou, Alabama

Emily Jones, Alabama

Kensey McMahon, Alabama

Rhyan White, Alabama

Avery Wiseman, Alabama

Talia Bates, Florida

Micayla Cronk, Florida

Ekaterina Nikonova, Florida

Emma Weyant, Florida

Zoie Hartman, Georgia

Rachel Stege, Georgia

Megan Barnes, LSU

Jenna Bridges, LSU

Peyton Curry, LSU

Michaela De Villiers, LSU

Montserrat Lavenant, LSU

Maggie MacNeil, LSU

Katarina Milutinovich, LSU

Ella Varga, LSU

Brooke Schultz, South Carolina

Brooklyn Douthwright, Tennessee

Mona McSharry, Tennessee

All-SEC Second Team

Women

Diana Petkova, Alabama

Kailyn Winter, Alabama

Bella Cothern, Arkansas

Alessia Ferraguti, Arkansas

Kobie Melton, Arkansas

Andrea Sansores, Arkansas

Meghan Lee, Auburn

Maha Amer, Florida

Nina Kucheran, Florida

Katie Mack, Florida

Olivia Peoples, Florida

Aris Runnels, Florida

Jillian Barczyk, Georgia

Duné Coetzee, Georgia

Callie Dickinson, Georgia

Eboni McCarty, Georgia

Sloane Reinstein, Georgia

Caitlin Brooks, Kentucky

Kyndal Knight, Kentucky

Lauren Poole, Kentucky

Maggie Buckley, LSU

Chiara Pellacani, LSU

Sophie Verzyl, South Carolina

Aly Breslin, Tennessee

Julia Burroughs, Tennessee

Emma Carlton, Tennessee

Josephine Fuller, Tennessee

Julia Mrozinski, Tennessee

Jasmine Rumley, Tennessee

Kristen Stege, Tennessee

Sara Stotler, Tennessee

Giulia Goerigk, Texas A&M

Chloe Stepanek, Texas A&M

All-Freshman Team

Women

Emily Jones, Alabama

Betsy Wizard, Arkansas

Zoe Dixon, Florida

Hayden Miller, Florida

Lydia Hanlon, Kentucky

Grace Frericks, Kentucky

Denise Phelan, Kentucky

Megan Barnes, LSU

Michaela De Villiers, LSU

Ella Varga, LSU

Malin Grosse, Missouri

Kamryn Wong, Missouri

Giulia Goerigk, Texas A&M

Joslyn Oakley, Texas A&M