STANDISH, ME – The 2012 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) postseason swimming honors have been announced and Saint Joseph's College Head Coach Rick Horr has been selected as the GNAC Coach of the Year.

The fifth-year varsity program has shown considerable growth under the watch of Coach Horr, who just completed his fourth year at the helm for the Monks. St. Joe's has finished in the top four at the GNAC Championships in each of the last four seasons, including a runner-up effort in 2008 and a third-place performance in 2009.

The true litmus test of the program's growth can be seen in the team's performance at the annual New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association (NEISDA) Championships. The Monks finished in 17th place with 99 points in Coach Horr's first year and proceeded to post a pair of 20th-place finishes over the last two seasons. This winter, St. Joe's placed 16th with a team-record 174 points and advanced to the finals in 11 events – all program-bests in five years of competition at the NEISDA's.

"This is a team award more than an individual award," adds Coach Horr.  Without the team and everyone involved buying into my approach, following what I say, helping me where I need it, performing in the pool, etc., I would not even be considered for this honor."

Coach Horr's tutelage has also yielded recognition outside of the pool. Saint Joseph's was honored with the Steve Looke Sportsmanship Team honor at this year's NEISDA event. Previously, the Monks had finished as the runner-up in the voting for the prestigious honor, which is bestowed upon the program that best exhibits the tenets of sportsmanship throughout the three-day regional event.

Perhaps the most important recognition the program has garnered under Coach Horr's guidance is the College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America Team accolade the Monks earned in late February. Over 500 college and university teams across all three NCAA divisions claimed the award, which is given to teams that achieved a 3.0 GPA or higher during the 2011 fall semester, but Saint Joseph's was one of only two NEISDA institutions to have both the men's and women's teams recognized.