Three Records Broken On First Day Of CAA Championships

Three relay records were broken on day one of the 2009 CAA Swimming & Diving Championships at the Jim McKay Natatorium at George Mason University.  After the first day of competition, George Mason leads the women’s competition with 116 points, followed by James Madison and Towson tied for second with 98 points.  On the men’s side, Old Dominion and UNC Wilmington share the top spot with 68 points, while William & Mary follows with 62.
 
The first record-setting performance of the day came in the women’s 200-yard medley relay as the George Mason squad of Nicole Harmon, Ashley Danner, Caitlin Impink and Mary Beth Cheslock posted a time of 1:40.65, surpassing the old record of 1:44.00 set by William & Mary since 2007.
 
UNC Wilmington’s men’s 200-yard medley relay team of Bobby Guntoro, Robert Anderson, Tucker Waldron, Alex Aguilar set a new meet record with a time of 1:29.73, just over a second less than the current record of 1:30.83 set by the Seahawks a year ago.
 
In the women’s 800-yard freestyle relay, William & Mary’s team of Lindsay Guers, Molly Emery, Marina Falcone and Katie Radloff, smashed the previous league record by over eight seconds with a time of 7:12.67.  The previous mark of 7:20.88 was set by Towson last year.
 
Drexel’s Kate Hynes collected her fourth-straight CAA championship on the three-meter board with a score of 352.60, while George Mason’s Lisa Faulkner finished in second with 301.20 points.
 
In the final event for the day, Delaware’s men’s 800-freestyle relay team of John Ohlhaver, Robert MacLeish, Zach Schiavo and Dominic Pavlik took home the victory in a close race, as they reached the wall one second in front of the Old Dominion team.
 
The championship continues tomorrow at 10 a.m. with trials in the 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle and the men’s one-meter diving.  Finals for those events will follow at 6 p.m.
 
JMU OFF TO SECOND-PLACE START AT CAA SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
James Madison broke two relay records and used a strong diving effort to attain a tie for second place after one day of competition at the 2008-09 Colonial Athletic Association women’s swimming and diving championships at George Mason’s Jim McKay Natatorium.

Through three completed events, George Mason sits in first place with 116 points.  JMU and Towson are tied for second with 98 followed by William & Mary (72), Old Dominion (62), Delaware (59), UNC Wilmington (58), Drexel (56), and Northeastern (44).

"Tonight was the start we were looking for,” commented JMU head coach Samantha Smith. “We have a long way to go but tonight created good momentum to carry into the rest of the meet.  I'm confident the girls are ready to perform at a high level and ready to show up tomorrow for our first full day of competition."

JMU entered the championship meet with its best diving depth in years and it paid off with three of the top six places for 44 total points in the event.  Freshman Nicole Jotso (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) claimed the bronze medal in her first day of CAA championship competition with a mark of 279.70.  She narrowly edged sophomore teammate Jessica Everett (Arlington, Va./Yorktown) with a total of 279.50 in fourth.  Freshman Chelsea Savage (Bedford, Texas/L.D. Bell) was sixth with a score of 250.90.

In a repeat of last year’s first day, the Dukes opened with school-record times in both relay events on the opening day.  The 200 medley relay team of sophomore Morgan McCarthy (New Castle, Del./St. Mark’s), sophomore Lisa Colapietro (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg), sophomore Layne Eidemiller (Lititz, Pa./Warwick), and senior Meghan Heil (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) finished seventh overall in a time of 1:44.68.  That broke the school record of 1:45.70 set by the same group a year ago.

The 800-yard freestyle relay smashed the previous JMU record, taking nine seconds off the record with a time of 7:24.63.  Sophomore Emily Konieczny (West Springfield, Mass./Granby), freshman Melissa Helock (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains Fanwood), junior P.J. Naber (Chantilly, Va./Chantilly), and freshman Lauren Kranz (Clifton, Va./James Robinson) finished fourth in the race.  Rachel Smith, Naber, Konieczny, and Kristen Wolla set the record last year in 7:33.62.

Men's 800-Relay Squad Wins CAA Title During Opening Day of Conference Meet
Highlighted by a championship performance by the men's 800-yard freestyle relay squad, the University of Delaware swim teams completed the first day of the Colonial Athletic Association Championship meet at George Mason's Jim McKay Natatorium on Wednesday night.

Along with the record-setting foursome on the men's side, the women broke three school records during the opening night of competition. The program's 200-medley and 800-freestyle relay marks were both shattered, while Cortney Barry set a new standard in the 200-freestyle.

Following the first day of action, the women stand sixth in the conference with 59 points, while the men rank seventh with 40. George Mason leads the women with 116 points, while Old Dominion and UNC Wilmington are tied atop the men's standings with 68 points apiece.

The foursome of John Ohlhaver, Robert MacLeish, Zach Schiavo, and Dominic Pavlik won Delaware's first conference title of the meet after out-touching Old Dominion's top team by .01 seconds.

Anchored by Pavlik, the title-winning team completed the relay in a school-record time of 6:40.27. Their mark shaved over seven seconds off the old record and just missed setting a new standard in the conference by only .07 seconds.

In the only other event on the men's slate, Delaware was disqualified in the 200-yard medley relay following a false start.

For the women, Cortney Barry, Meghan Barber, Donna Healy, and Maryann Walker combined to finish fifth in the 800-freestyle relay with a school-record time of 7:27.79. Their pace took nearly eight seconds off the old mark that was set five seasons ago.

During the event, Barry completed the opening leg with a time of 1:51.66, which also set a new school record in the 200-freestyle.

The Hens also set a new mark in the 200-yard medley relay as Emily Smathers, Marianne Flynn, Sarah Begley, and Erinne Butler cruised to a sixth-place showing with a time of 1:44.61. Their performance broke the old mark set last season by just under two seconds.

In the 3-meter dive finals, senior Shannon Burke rounded out the Delaware competitors by placing 12th with a score of 227.15.