WALTHAM, Mass. – Owen Karl (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton HS) and Nicola Mancini (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth HS) were recently named the MVP's of the 2013-14 Bentley University swimming and diving teams following outstanding sophomore seasons.

The Most Improved awards for coach Mary Kay Samko's team went to freshmen Nick Cilia (Brentwood, N.H./Exeter HS) and Kaitlin McGahie (Boylston/Tahanto Reg. HS) while the recipients of Coach's Awards were Steve Sylvia (Westerly, R.I./Westerly HS) and Caroline Lewis (Westfield/ Westfield HS), both members of the Class of 2014.

The team's Scholar-Athlete Award honorees were two other members of the Class of 2014, Amanda Le (Chelmsford/Chelmsford HS) and Peter Belanger (Andover/Andover HS). Both were previously selected Academic All-Northeast-10.

Samko also announced that the captains of next year's team will be a quartet of rising seniors, Luke Mason (Lowell/Lowell HS) and Ryan Shanahan (Duxbury/Catholic Memorial HS) for the men and Nadine Edwards (Danbury, Conn./Danbury HS) and Kaitlyn Simoneau (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South HS).

Karl, during the Northeast-10 Championships, earned five medals and helped break school records a total of eight times in four events. He placed second in the 200 and 500 yard freestyle events, as well as the 800 free relay, was third in both the 1650 free and 400 free relay, and left the championships as Bentley's school record holder in the 200 free, 500 free and two relays.

Mancini had her second straight outstanding season diving with her sophomore campaign capped off by earning her second and third NCAA Division II All-America awards at the NCAA Championships. After sweeping the two diving events at the Northeast-10 Championships, she placed fifth in the nationals in the one-meter and seventh off the three-meter board.

Cilia, in his first collegiate season, finished fourth in both the one-meter and three-meter diving events at the NE-10 Championships.

McGahie made two trips to the medal podium following relays at the conference championships and also finished in the top five in four other events, including a fourth in the 100 breaststroke and a fifth in the 50 free. She ranks second in program history in the 50 free and fifth in the 50 breast, 100 breast and 100 individual medley.

Le earned gold at the NE-10 Championships in the 200 individual medley and also finished second in both the 100 and 200 breast. A standout in the classroom as well, she owns a pair of school records (2:09.07 in 200 IM, 2:21.76 in the 200 breast) and ranks in the top five in three other events.

Belanger, a team captain who earned a GPA exceeding 3.5 in corporate finance and accounting, was 10th in the 100 butterfly, 12th in the 200 breast and 14th in the 200 IM at the conference championships. He owns a share of the school records in two relays, the 200 medley (1:35.23) and the 400 medley (3:30.59).

Sylvia, a co-captain along with Belanger, has his name attached to four of the five school records in the relays, including three that were set during the NE-10 Championships (200 free, 400 free, 400 medley). He reached the finals in two individual events, placing sixth in the 50 free and seventh in the 100 free, and was part of Bentley's silver-medal winning 200 free relay.

Lewis, a co-captain of the women's team, holds the school record in the 50 backstroke, 28.03 seconds. She helped Bentley to a fifth in the 400 medley relay at the conference championships and was the consolation winner in both the 100 back and 400 IM.

Of the four captains-to-be, Edwards is the most accomplished with her resume including a pair of NE-10 gold medals (200 free in 2013, 500 free in 2012) and six school records (500 free, 1000 free, 1650 free and three relays).

Mason ranks 10th in program history in the 1650 free, 12th in the 500 and 13th in the 1000. Simoneau is a sprint freestyler and Shanahan also competes in the freestyle events.