Boise State Places Five on MW 25th Season Swimming Team
2/20/2024 12:04:00 PM | General
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West continued its celebration of the league's 25th season Tuesday, with the unveiling of the Mountain West 25th Season Women's Swimming and Diving Team, including 25 swimmers and 10 divers. Boise State landed five swimmers on the all-time team in Brittany Aoyama, Amber Boucher, Emma Chard, Abbey Sorensen and Sam Wicks.
Despite competing in the conference for just nine of the 25 seasons, 20% of the best swimmers in league history donned the Blue and Orange – the most of any school. Nevada, San Diego State and UNLV each placed four swimmers on the all-time team. Nevada was also represented by three divers for the overall league lead.
The team was selected by the MW 25th Season Committee as the conference celebrates its excellence on and off the field of play.
Boise State women's swimming and diving held its inaugural season in 2006-07 and competed for 14 seasons before being discontinued after the 2019-20 campaign, which did not include a conference championship meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In that span, the Broncos won six conference titles and for nine consecutive years, from 2010-18, finished first or second at their conference championship meet. In eight appearances at the Mountain West Championships, Boise State won four conference titles, finished runner up three times and third place once. The Broncos accounted for three MW Swimmer of the Year awards and four MW Coach of the Year honors.
The quintet of Broncos named to the Mountain West 25th Season Women's Swimming and Diving Team combined for 46 event titles at MW Championships and 93 All-Mountain West honors. Expanded bios of each honoree can be found below.
Brittany Aoyama (2013-17)
A 13-time Mountain West champion and 28-time All-Mountain West honoree, Aoyama is the only swimmer in Boise State history to compete at four NCAA Championships and the most recent Mountain West swimmer to accomplish the feat. She helped Boise State win a pair of team titles at the 2014 and 2017 Mountain West Championships. Aoyama won three consecutive conference crowns in the 100-yard butterfly and added a 100-yard freestyle gold medal in 2017 to go with nine career relay championships. She is the Boise State record holder in the 100 freestyle and ranks third all-time in MW history in the event. Aoyama also holds spots in the conference's all-time top six in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. She competed in the A final of all 11 individual events she swam at conference championships during her career, including four titles, two runner-up finishes and two bronze medals, and helped each of the 17 relay teams she swam on at conference championships earn All-MW recognition. Aoyama collected honorable mention All-America honors as a member of Boise State's 200-yard freestyle relay team that finished 12th at the NCAA Championships in 2017. Her best individual finish at NCAA Championships was 27th in the 50-yard freestyle as a senior. Aoyama was also a CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2017 to cap an illustrious athletic and academic career. Her other academic accolades include being a four-time CSCAA Scholar All-American, two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District, four-time MW Scholar-Athlete and four-time Academic All-MW. She was an 11-time MW Swimmer of the Week.
Amber Boucher (2008-12)
Despite competing just one season in the Mountain West, Boucher left an indelible mark. A two-time Western Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Year prior to Boise State making the move to the Mountain West, Boucher proved immediately that she was ready for the step up in competition. She won six gold medals and one silver at the 2012 Mountain West Championships to cement MW Swimmer of the Year honors, including leading off the winning 400-yard freestyle relay in the final event of the meet to complete a come-from-behind victory in the team standings over defending champion San Diego State and secure Boise State's first Mountain West team title in any sport after joining the league that same year. Boucher set six all-time Mountain West records at the championship meet and still ranks in the conference's all-time top 10 in four individual events, including the third-best time in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle. She became the first woman in Boise State history to be named conference athlete of the year three times in any sport. Boucher capped her senior season with an appearance at the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row, where she became the only two-time All-American in program history. She finished the season ranked in the top 35 nationally in four individual events. A three-time MW Swimmer of the Week during the regular season, Boucher racked up 39 combined individual and relay victories as a senior. She was also a CSCAA Scholar All-American, a MW Scholar-Athlete and an Academic All-MW honoree.
Emma Chard (2014-18)
The best middle distance and distance freestyle swimmer in Boise State history, Emma Chard still owns the Mountain West all-time record in the 200-yard freestyle to go with her school records in the 200-, 500-, 1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyle events. Chard won nine gold medals at Mountain West Championships in her career, including three consecutive titles in the 200 freestyle. Chard added a victory in the 500 freestyle as a senior in 2018, helping Boise State claim back-to-back team championships. She was a member of five conference championship relay teams and totaled 16 All-Mountain West honors. Chard competed at two NCAA Championships. Her top individual finish at the national meet was 33rd in the 500 freestyle as a sophomore. As a junior, Chard was named a CSCAA Scholar All-American.
Abbey Sorensen (2015-19)
Abbey Sorensen helped Boise State to two Mountain West Championships in 2017 and 2018 before breaking out as an individual as a senior. Sorensen made her final season her best and took home 2019 Mountain West Swimmer of the Year and co-Swimmer of the Meet honors at the Mountain West Championships. That year she defended her individual titles in the 50-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke while adding a second-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke. She also led off Boise State's winning 400-yard freestyle relay team. Sorensen capped her senior year by setting a school record and then-MW record in the 200 backstroke at the NCAA Championships to finish 19th. The mark remains second fastest in conference history. Sorensen was a 12-time Mountain West champion and 19-time all-conference honoree. She made three trips to the NCAA Championships, including her as a member of Boise State's 200-yard freestyle relay that finished 12th in 2017 for honorable mention All-America status. Sorensen was a CSCAA Scholar All-American in 2017.
Sam Wicks (2012-16)
The 2016 Mountain West Swimmer of the Year, Sam Wicks rounded out a decorated career by taking top honors at the championship meet as a senior. Wicks won the 100-yard backstroke by nearly a full second, captured the 200-yard individual medley title by more than two seconds and paced three Bronco relay teams to victory while also finishing runner up in the 200-yard backstroke. Her times from the individual conference titles are the Boise State school records and both remain second all-time in Mountain West history. Wicks totaled six conference championships and 23 All-MW honors in her career to go with one team title in 2014. She made three appearances at the NCAA Championships, with her best individual finish coming in the 100 backstroke, finishing 31st as a junior and a senior. A decorated student, Wicks was also the recipient of the 2016 Mountain West Senior Recognition Award for her accomplishments in and out of the pool. She earned CoSIDA Academic All-America recognition as a senior, was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree and three-time CSCAA Scholar All-American. A 2017 graduate of Boise State, Wicks was honored as a Boise State University Top Ten Scholar, as one of the top 10 students in her graduating class throughout the university.
Despite competing in the conference for just nine of the 25 seasons, 20% of the best swimmers in league history donned the Blue and Orange – the most of any school. Nevada, San Diego State and UNLV each placed four swimmers on the all-time team. Nevada was also represented by three divers for the overall league lead.
The team was selected by the MW 25th Season Committee as the conference celebrates its excellence on and off the field of play.
Boise State women's swimming and diving held its inaugural season in 2006-07 and competed for 14 seasons before being discontinued after the 2019-20 campaign, which did not include a conference championship meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In that span, the Broncos won six conference titles and for nine consecutive years, from 2010-18, finished first or second at their conference championship meet. In eight appearances at the Mountain West Championships, Boise State won four conference titles, finished runner up three times and third place once. The Broncos accounted for three MW Swimmer of the Year awards and four MW Coach of the Year honors.
The quintet of Broncos named to the Mountain West 25th Season Women's Swimming and Diving Team combined for 46 event titles at MW Championships and 93 All-Mountain West honors. Expanded bios of each honoree can be found below.
Brittany Aoyama (2013-17)
A 13-time Mountain West champion and 28-time All-Mountain West honoree, Aoyama is the only swimmer in Boise State history to compete at four NCAA Championships and the most recent Mountain West swimmer to accomplish the feat. She helped Boise State win a pair of team titles at the 2014 and 2017 Mountain West Championships. Aoyama won three consecutive conference crowns in the 100-yard butterfly and added a 100-yard freestyle gold medal in 2017 to go with nine career relay championships. She is the Boise State record holder in the 100 freestyle and ranks third all-time in MW history in the event. Aoyama also holds spots in the conference's all-time top six in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. She competed in the A final of all 11 individual events she swam at conference championships during her career, including four titles, two runner-up finishes and two bronze medals, and helped each of the 17 relay teams she swam on at conference championships earn All-MW recognition. Aoyama collected honorable mention All-America honors as a member of Boise State's 200-yard freestyle relay team that finished 12th at the NCAA Championships in 2017. Her best individual finish at NCAA Championships was 27th in the 50-yard freestyle as a senior. Aoyama was also a CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2017 to cap an illustrious athletic and academic career. Her other academic accolades include being a four-time CSCAA Scholar All-American, two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District, four-time MW Scholar-Athlete and four-time Academic All-MW. She was an 11-time MW Swimmer of the Week.
Amber Boucher (2008-12)
Despite competing just one season in the Mountain West, Boucher left an indelible mark. A two-time Western Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Year prior to Boise State making the move to the Mountain West, Boucher proved immediately that she was ready for the step up in competition. She won six gold medals and one silver at the 2012 Mountain West Championships to cement MW Swimmer of the Year honors, including leading off the winning 400-yard freestyle relay in the final event of the meet to complete a come-from-behind victory in the team standings over defending champion San Diego State and secure Boise State's first Mountain West team title in any sport after joining the league that same year. Boucher set six all-time Mountain West records at the championship meet and still ranks in the conference's all-time top 10 in four individual events, including the third-best time in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle. She became the first woman in Boise State history to be named conference athlete of the year three times in any sport. Boucher capped her senior season with an appearance at the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row, where she became the only two-time All-American in program history. She finished the season ranked in the top 35 nationally in four individual events. A three-time MW Swimmer of the Week during the regular season, Boucher racked up 39 combined individual and relay victories as a senior. She was also a CSCAA Scholar All-American, a MW Scholar-Athlete and an Academic All-MW honoree.
Emma Chard (2014-18)
The best middle distance and distance freestyle swimmer in Boise State history, Emma Chard still owns the Mountain West all-time record in the 200-yard freestyle to go with her school records in the 200-, 500-, 1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyle events. Chard won nine gold medals at Mountain West Championships in her career, including three consecutive titles in the 200 freestyle. Chard added a victory in the 500 freestyle as a senior in 2018, helping Boise State claim back-to-back team championships. She was a member of five conference championship relay teams and totaled 16 All-Mountain West honors. Chard competed at two NCAA Championships. Her top individual finish at the national meet was 33rd in the 500 freestyle as a sophomore. As a junior, Chard was named a CSCAA Scholar All-American.
Abbey Sorensen (2015-19)
Abbey Sorensen helped Boise State to two Mountain West Championships in 2017 and 2018 before breaking out as an individual as a senior. Sorensen made her final season her best and took home 2019 Mountain West Swimmer of the Year and co-Swimmer of the Meet honors at the Mountain West Championships. That year she defended her individual titles in the 50-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke while adding a second-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke. She also led off Boise State's winning 400-yard freestyle relay team. Sorensen capped her senior year by setting a school record and then-MW record in the 200 backstroke at the NCAA Championships to finish 19th. The mark remains second fastest in conference history. Sorensen was a 12-time Mountain West champion and 19-time all-conference honoree. She made three trips to the NCAA Championships, including her as a member of Boise State's 200-yard freestyle relay that finished 12th in 2017 for honorable mention All-America status. Sorensen was a CSCAA Scholar All-American in 2017.
Sam Wicks (2012-16)
The 2016 Mountain West Swimmer of the Year, Sam Wicks rounded out a decorated career by taking top honors at the championship meet as a senior. Wicks won the 100-yard backstroke by nearly a full second, captured the 200-yard individual medley title by more than two seconds and paced three Bronco relay teams to victory while also finishing runner up in the 200-yard backstroke. Her times from the individual conference titles are the Boise State school records and both remain second all-time in Mountain West history. Wicks totaled six conference championships and 23 All-MW honors in her career to go with one team title in 2014. She made three appearances at the NCAA Championships, with her best individual finish coming in the 100 backstroke, finishing 31st as a junior and a senior. A decorated student, Wicks was also the recipient of the 2016 Mountain West Senior Recognition Award for her accomplishments in and out of the pool. She earned CoSIDA Academic All-America recognition as a senior, was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree and three-time CSCAA Scholar All-American. A 2017 graduate of Boise State, Wicks was honored as a Boise State University Top Ten Scholar, as one of the top 10 students in her graduating class throughout the university.
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