Lisa Boyce displays the medals she won at sectionals. Photo courtesy Lisa Boyce (click to enlarge)

URBANA — The high school girls swimming season has been over for more than a week, but the awards keep coming for standout Lisa Boyce.

On Wednesday, the 14-year-old junior was named The News-Gazette's Swimmer of the Year.

Not that the paper had a difficult decision to make. Boyce dominated the area swim scene this fall in her first season competing for Uni.

The nationally ranked swimmer had competed only for her club team, the Champaign County YMCA Heat, until this year.

Boyce went through the regular season undefeated in individual events (20-0).

Indeed, in the final News-Gazette listing of area girls swimming and diving leaders before the Nov. 15 IHSA sectionals, Boyce had the fastest times in seven of the eight non-diving individual events: 200-yard freestyle (1:55.74), 200 individual medley (2:09.99), 50 freestyle (24.35), 100 butterfly (57.88), 100 freestyle (52.14), 500 freestyle (5:16.07), and 100 backstroke (57.64).

The only event she didn't own locally was the 100 breaststroke, in which she ranked fourth (1:13.01), behind swimmers from Central (Emma Newman), Urbana (Jennifer Hill), and Centennial (Jane Black).

Boyce's winning streak continued at sectionals, where she won both the 100 backstroke (58.71) and 100 freestyle (52.19).

A week later, at the IHSA state meet in Evanston, she placed fifth in the 100 back (56.56) and 11th in the 100 free (52.97). She was the only swimmer from Champaign-Urbana to make it to the second day of the state finals in two events.

Also on Wednesday, The News-Gazette named freshman Milee Nelson to its honorable mention list. Nelson won the 500 freestyle at sectionals and finished 35th at state.

Boyce and Nelson were the first Uni female swimmers to qualify for state since 1994, when both Megan Flynn and Christine Keller accomplished that feat.

Keller, then a freshman, went on to finish eighth in the 50 free (24.73) and fourth in the 100 back (58.72), while Flynn, a senior, finished seventh in the 200 free (1:53.97) and fourth in the 500 free (5:01.50).

Look for a Gargoyle Q&A with Boyce in the coming days.