IUPUI's Dibley, Milwaukee's Guerrero Collect 2022-23 Cecil N. Coleman Medals of Honor
Rachel White
All-Time Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor Winners
INDIANAPOLIS (June 28, 2023) – IUPUI swimming and diving’s Nicholas Dibley and Milwaukee track and field’s Annie Guerrero earned the Horizon League’s 2022-23 Cecil N. Coleman Medals of Honor.
The Coleman Medal of Honor, first awarded in 1981, is the Horizon League’s most prestigious individual honor. The award is presented annually to the top male and female student-athletes who demonstrate outstanding achievement in academics, athletics and extracurricular activities.
“Congratulations to Nicholas and Annie on their tremendous careers in college athletics and for winning these prestigious awards. They have excelled in the classroom, in competition and in the community and we are so proud to honor both of them for all their incredible achievements with the Cecil N. Coleman Medals of Honor,” stated Horizon League Commissioner Julie Roe Lach.
Dibley is IUPUI’s third honoree following Kori Waelbroeck in 2017-18 and Holly Hoopingarner in 2019-20.
“I am incredibly honored to accept the prestigious Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor. This recognition reflects the collective support and dedication of my coaches, teammates, professors, and the entire IUPUI community,” said Dibley. “I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given to excel in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities. Thank you for this incredible honor!”
Academically, Dibley graduated from IUPUI with a 3.957 GPA in Biomedical Informatics. He earned #HLSD All-Academic Team honors the past two seasons, was named to IUPUI’s Top 100 Student list in 2022 and 2023 and also earned a spot on the CSC Academic All-District Team. Additionally, he was a recipient of the 2022 Michael A Carroll Scholarship, which is given annually to an individual entering their final year of competition and represents IUPUI's best of the best.
Dibley also earned the Horizon League Post-Graduate Scholarship this spring and will be enrolling in IUPUI’s bioinformatics master’s program.
As a member of the swimming and diving team, Dibley reached the podium in at least one event at the Horizon League Championships each year throughout his career. He holds the IUPUI record in the 400 IM, an event in which he placed second at this year’s #HLSD championship. Dibley has also posted IUPUI top five times in three additional individual events (500 free, 1650 free, 200 fly) and was a member of the 800 free relay team that set the school record at the 2023 HL championship.
"Nick is an outstanding individual and the best representative of a leader, student and athlete. It is a wonderful honor and there is no one more deserving. Nick has made a strong impact on our program throughout his time at IUPUI and I am so very proud of him,” commented IUPUI swimming and diving head coach Damion Dennis.
Out of the pool and the classroom, Dibley logged 47 volunteer hours this year at various organizations, including the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, Indianapolis Zoo and St. John the Evangelist Church. He also served as Secretary of IUPUI’s Biomedical Informatics Club and as the swim team’s liaison for Team Impact, working closely with their match, Carter. Dibley also served as IUPUI SAAC President and Secretary of Horizon League SAAC.
Annie Guerrero is the 12
th Milwaukee student-athlete to earn a Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor. She is MKE’s third female winner following Erin Blaedow in 2001-02 and Lisa Krzykowski in 1997-98.
“I am so humbly honored to receive such prestigious recognition from the Horizon League. So many student-athletes are deserving of this award, and to be the chosen recipient is amazing. If it weren't for the people who were there to support me through my journey as a student-athlete and beyond, I wouldn't be receiving this award,” Guerrero said. “Being a Milwaukee Panther has given me experiences and opportunities I could have never imagined. All the community outreach and support from staff instills inspiration to be the change in the community. The Athletic Department always gave us platforms to serve as leaders and represent student-athletes from all backgrounds. As a Latina, I don't witness many that look like me, especially in Track and Field. I'm so happy to represent not only Milwaukee Athletics but also Latina women in athletics. As a college graduate, I intend to continue impacting my community by engaging with events and groups that reinforce the values I learned as a collegiate student-athlete.”
In the classroom, Guerrero posted a 3.706 GPA as a Pre-Physician Assistant and Biomedical Science – Radiologic Technology major and a Biology minor. She was named to both the indoor and outdoor track All-Academic teams this season and was a five-time Milwaukee Dean’s Honor List honoree.
In competition, Guerrero qualified for the 2023 NCAA Regionals, earned two Horizon League high jump titles and is also the school’s outdoor high jump record holder. She also qualified for the 2021 NCAA Division I West Preliminary Round and finished runner-up in two #HLTF championship events in her career.
“I cannot think of a student-athlete more deserving for the Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor than Annie Guerrero. It was a blessing being able to help mentor and watch Annie’s growth as a person during my time coaching her. Annie’s desire to be the very best she can be in academics and athletics of course had roadblocks along the journey. However, watching her growth and maturity in navigating those roadblocks was the most rewarding part of being Annie’s coach,” stated Milwaukee head coach Andrew Basler. “She has grown into a person extremely capable of problem-solving and overcoming life’s challenges. Her extraordinary work ethic, positive attitude, and team-first approach during her time as a Panther exemplifies what it fully means to be a NCAA, Horizon League, and Milwaukee student-athlete.”
Outside of competition and academics, Guerrero was involved in numerous campus and community initiatives, serving as a Diversity and Inclusion SAAC executive, MKE beach clean-up organizer, One Love training leader and Next Door Foundation volunteer. Additionally, she was a member of the Green Bandana Project, UWM Track and Field Leadership Council and a Dreamers of Wisconsin mentor while volunteering with the UWM Food Pantry and Ascension Columbia St. Mary's.
Candidates for the Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor award must be seniors who have graduated or exhausted their eligibility and were participants in a Horizon League sponsored sport. Nominees must have a grade-point average of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 to be considered. Finalists for the Coleman Medal of Honor are below:
Cleveland State – Jannis Schmidt, men’s soccer and Audrey McConihe, volleyball
Detroit Mercy – Antoine Davis, men’s basketball and Kara Wolfbauer, softball
IUPUI – Nicholas Dibley, swimming and diving and Maya Lacognato, women’s soccer
Milwaukee – Trevor Wenzel, cross country and track and field and Annie Guerrero, track and field
Oakland – Ian Cleary, baseball and Grace Nolan, cross country and track and field
Purdue Fort Wayne – Riley Ott, women’s basketball
RMU – Kahliel Spear, men’s basketball and Dana Vatakis, softball
Youngstown State – Bryan Kordupel, men’s golf and Lilly Ritz, women’s basketball