On this day 31 years ago, Ann Marie Wycoff ’85 was named the Division II Swimmer of the 1980s by the NCAA. Here is an article about the honor from George Usher of Newsday.

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NCAA Women’s Swim Award Might Be Mystery to Wycoff

Ann Marie Wycoff may not know it, but she’s been chosen the women’s Division II Swimmer of the 1980s by the NCAA. Right now, though, she’s attending to more important matters: Mopping up with the Seventh Army Corps in southern Iraq.

“Word has been sent to Ann Marie,” said her father, Roger. “It’s possible she knows it, and it’s possible she doesn’t.”

Wycoff, who grew up in Fort Salonga and attended Stony Brook Prep – where, according to her father, she swam against all-male competition and never lost in a dual meet – is a lieutenant with the 85th Maintenance Company, which is with the Seventh Army Corps (Mechanized) in Iraq.

“We just received a letter from her last week,” her father said. “It got my wife a little upset because she said she was getting ready to jump into Iraq. She’s paratroop qualified, so I imagine that’s what she meant.”

Wycoff, 24, graduated in 1989 from West Point, where she became the only woman swimmer in history to win nine national NCAA Division II titles. According to Army swimming coach Ray Bosse, she won two in the 200-meter individual medley, two in the 200 butterfly, two in the 1,650 freestyle, and three in the 400 individual medley.

“She still holds the national record of 4.24.76 in the 400 individual medley set in 1989,” Bosse said. “I’m sure it didn’t hurt her resume when the NCAA saw she was in the Persian Gulf, but she deserves this award. She’s been by far the most successful swimmer we’ve had at West Point. I don’t know if she knows she won this swimmer of the decade award, but I’m going to accept it for her today in Milwaukee.”

The elder Wycoff, who also had three sons graduate from West Point, isn’t sure when his daughter will be coming home.

“All I know from her letters is that she has two gripes about being in Iraq,” he said. “She can only take a shower once a week, and this is a swimmer.

“The other thing is that they’ve been going 24 hours, and because of the commotion, the noise and people being around all the time, she’s found it hard to sleep. But that’s it. The main thing is she is safe, and she’ll be returning soon.”

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