LA MIRADA, Calif. --- As part of the COVID-19 closures, Biola Athletics had to cancel its 2020 EDDIES awards and year-end student-athlete banquet. Since we were unable to announce our awards and celebrate student-athletes at the banquet, we will take the next week to do so online and over social media.

We continue the process today by announcing the WINNER of the 2019-20 Female Newcomer of the Year award. This award is meant to honor the best of the first-year Eagles. The list includes both freshmen and transfers. 

The 2019-20 winner of the Biola Female Newcomer of the Year award is Kellynn Hayes from Biola Swim & Dive. Hayes is the second member of Biola Swim & Dive to win an EDDIE award. Lisa Tixier took home the inaugural Female Student-Athlete of the Year award in 2017 and was given the Dr. Dave Holmquist Career Achievement Award.

Hayes had a great regular season, but her true coming-out party happened at the 2020 Pacific Collegiate Swimming & Diving Conference championship meet, where she won one event and finished fourth-place in two others while breaking the school record in all three distance events.

At the end of her freshman season, she's got her name in the school record books four times: as the individual record-holder three times and as part of the 800-freestyle relay. The crowning moment for Hayes was when she won the ultra-competitive 500-freestyle at the PCSC Championships. 

It was the first time a Biola female swimmer won the conference title in the 500-free. Hayes went 4:58.83 in the finals to out-touch the second-place swimmer by :00.28 seconds. That resulted in 32 points for the Eagles, rather than a second-place 28 points. 

Biola would go on to beat rival Azusa Pacific by just one point in the meet, making this result all the more critical. 

Hayes logged A LOT of laps over the four-day meet. She finished fourth with record-breaking efforts in both the 1,000-freestyle (10:24.50) and 1,650-freestyle (17:24.91). All told, she swam 158 competitive 25-yard laps a the PCSC Championships.

She had 12 top-3 finishes throughout the season, logging event wins in both the 500-freestyle and the 1,650-freestyle. She also had a very strong year academically, helping contribute to Biola being a CSCAA Scholar All-America team.

Past Female Newcomer of the Year Award Winners:
Paige Austin (2018)
Kellynn Hayes (2020)
Katelyn Penner (2019)
Christina Rodriguez (2017)

Head on over to our @BiolaAthletics Instagram account to leave some love for Kellynn.

On Tuesday, we plan to announce the 2020 recipient of the Male Newcomer of the Year Award.

Mon. April 20 - Finalists Announced - Female Newcomer of the Year - Grace Catena, Kellynn Hayes, Stephanie Lee, Liza Parahnevich & Raegan Tjepkema
Tue. April 21 - Finalists Announced - Male Newcomer of the Year - Jack Kilgallon, Alexei Prokopchuk, Chris Rossow, Ben Smith & Patrick Waggoner
Wed. April 22 - Finalists Announced - Female Student-Athlete of the Year - Madyson Brown, Colbeyshae Emery, Mackenna Mason, Jennifer Morinishi & Sami Penor
Thur. April 23 - Finalists Announced - Male Student-Athlete of the Year - Michael Bagatourian, Larson Kindreich, Jake Munivez, Gabe Plendcio & Gabe Weber
Fri. April 24 - Winners Announced - Dr. Dave Holmquist Career Achievement Awards - Madyson Brown, Gabe Plendcio
Mon. April 27 - Winner Announced - Female Newcomer of the Year - Kellynn Hayes
Tue. April 28 - Winner Announced - Male Newcomer of the Year
Wed. April 29 - Winner Announced - Female Student-Athlete of the Year
Thur. April 30 - Winner Announced - Male Student-Athlete of the Year
Fri. May 1 - Winner Announced - Team Community Service Award