RICHMOND, VA -- After leading the University of Delaware men's swimming team to its best finish at the Colonial Athletic Association championships this past weekend, head coach John Hayman was named the CAA men's co-Coach of the Year.

At the title meet hosted by George Mason, Hayman's Hens finished third, topping their previous best showing of eighth during each of the last two seasons. Delaware accumulated 505 points during the four-day competition, trailing second-place Old Dominion by 81 and seven-time defending champion UNC-Wilmington by 197.

The Coach of the Year honor is his seventh since joining Delaware and his first since being named the America East's top coach in 2000.

In his 19th season coaching the men's and women's swim programs at Delaware, Hayman has led the Blue Hens to six conference championships, including four straight America East titles on the men's side from 1997-2000.

During the CAA Championship meet this past weekend, his men's swim team recorded 12 top-five finishes, including victories by the 200- and 400-freestyle relay teams as well as a first-place showing by Andrew Zinn in the 100-yard freestyle.

The relay wins were the first by Delaware since the 1991-92 seasons, while Zinn's victory marked the Hens' first individual champion since joining the CAA.

Along with the three victories, Zinn placed second in the 50- and 200-freestyles, Grady Carter finished third in the 50- and 100-freestyles while also placing fifth in the 100-backstroke, the 200-medley, 400-medley, and 800-freestyle relay squads placed fourth in their events, and John Ohlhaver also came in fourth in the 200-backstroke.

Hayman also watched the men's team break 12 school records. In addition to the marks set by all five relay teams and the three by Zinn in the 50-, 100-, and 200-freestyles, Craig Young set two in the 100-backstroke and 400-IM before Ohlhaver broke Young's mark in the 100-backstroke the following day and later added another one in the 200-yard event.

During the competition, Zinn also became the first Blue Hen swimmer to become a provisional qualifier for the NCAA meet after reaching the national ‘B’ standard in the 50-freestyle on Thursday before doing the same in the 100-yard event on Saturday.

For his team's performance, Hayman earned the Coach of the Year honor along with UNC Wilmington's Dave Allen. The Seahawk's Marc Ellington also took home the men's Diving Coach of the Year award, while Towson's Pat Mead and Drexel's Larry May were honored on the women's side.