NCAA Division II Day Two Team Recaps

LIMESTONE WINS CHAMPIONSHIP IN TWO EVENTS
The Limestone College men’s swim team captured two titles by Thursday at the NCAA Division II National Swimming & Diving Championships.  The Saints, the national record holders and defending National Champions in the 200 freestyle relay, set a new national record in capturing consecutive championships in the event.  Goran Majlat (Split, Croatia) also captured Limestone’s first ever individual championship by winning the 50 freestyle. 
 
Craig Jordens (Cape Town, South Africa), Matt Parsonage (Durban, South Africa), Anders Melin (Karlstad, Sweden), and Goran Majlat (Split, Croatia) teamed up in the 200 freestyle relay final to capture first place.  The team set a new national benchmark in the event, eclipsing the record time of 1:20.69, with a blistering 1:19.25.  The relay team’s championship effort bested second place Wingate by 0:01.34 (1:20.59).
 
Jordens, Melin, and Majlat were members of the 2007-08 team, with Chris Harrigan, which tied the national record time in the event .
 
Majlat also earned Limestone’s first ever individual title by winning the 50 freestyle final.  The sophomore narrowly beat Tritons Dan Perdew in the sprint, using 0:00.06 to capture first place.  Majlat’s final time of 19.63 fell short of the national record of 19.40.  Jordens rounded out the top 3 in the event, recording a time of 19.72.
 
In the 100 butterfly final, Melin captured 4th place for the Saints, clocking in at 48.27.
 
Wayne State: Men's Swimming Takes Lead At NCAA Championships
The Wayne State men's swimming and diving team claimed two national titles in the second round of the NCAA Division II Championships. The Warriors ended Thursday's competition at the top of the 23-team field with a 242.5-218 lead over Drury University.

Duarte Mourao (Loures, Portugal), who again lowered his own school records in both of his individual events, won the 100 butterfly in a time of 47.25. He became Wayne State's second individual national swimming champion since 1941 (Christer Tour won the 100 breaststroke in 2008).

He also swam the third leg of the national-record setting 400 medley relay, the second national champion relay in school history (WSU won the 200 medley last season).

The 200 free relay of Sebastian Rzepa (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley), Jesper Akesson (Malmo, Sweden), Justin Shields (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay), and Cauli Bedran (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) finished fourth (1:21.07) and broke the school record it set in the preliminaries.

Mourao, who broke the school record in the preliminary 400 individual medley by four seconds, lowered the mark by another five seconds in the final and finished third (3:52.34).

Sean Smith (Auburn, Mich./Bay City Western) finished sixth (48.51) in the 100 fly, and Rzepa also broke his own school record for the second time Thursday in the 200 free, finishing fourth (1:37.18).

The Wayne State and Ouachita Baptist 400 medley relays were both under the national record pace set by the Tigers in the preliminary round. Smith, Akesson, Mourao, and Rzepa were able to edge out Ouachita's quartet by .06 seconds to win (3:14.15).

The third day of competition will begin with Friday's preliminary events at approximately 11:00 a.m. ET.
 
Wayne State: Women's Swimming & Diving In Second After Two Days At NCAAs
The Wayne State University women's swimming and diving team is in second place after Thursday's final heats at the NCAA Division II Championships, hosted by the University of Houston. The Warriors trail Drury University, 285-206.

Elaina Hogle (Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood) earned 15 points with a fourth-place finish in the 400 individual medley (4:22.84).

In the consolation final of the 100 butterfly, Agata Zalewska (Swietochlowice, Poland) turned in a 13th-place performance (57.18).

Ashley St. Andrew (Grand Rapids, Mich./Jenison) and Hogle finished fourth (1:50.27) and sixth (1:51.30), respectively, in the 200 freestyle. St. Andrew also further lowered the school record she set in the preliminary round. Abbey Green (Dearborn, Mich.) came in 14th in the consolation heat (1:52.56).
In the one-meter diving competition, Cassie Chetosky (Shelby Twp., Mich./Utica) finished seventh (379.50).

The 400 medley relay of Sara Franklin (Caro, Mich.), Courtney Roberts (Milan, Mich.), Hogle, and Green shaved a second off their prelim time to set a school record and finish fourth (3:46.43).

The third day of competition will begin with Friday's preliminary events at approximately 11:00 a.m. ET.

Wingate: ANOTHER BIG DAY FOR WINGATE SWIMMING AT NCAA NAT’L MEET
The Wingate University men’s swimming team made a big move Thursday, posting two second-place finishes on day two of the 2009 NCAA Division II national championship meet. The University of Houston is providing the swimming venue as part of the Division II National Championships Festival.
 
The men vaulted to seventh place on the team charts, as the Bulldogs have 120 points following day two of the championships. Wayne State (Mich.) University is first with 232.5 points. Twenty-three schools have posted a men’s team score. The Wingate women are 28th in the team standings. Drury (Mo.) University leads the women’s team standings.
 
Two Wingate relay teams earned All-American honors Thursday, led by the 200 Freestyle Relay quartet of juniors Gus Chagas (Recife, Brazil), Daniel De Francisco (Cali, Colombia) and Mason Norman (Duluth, Ga.) and sophomore Dwight Richardson (Newport News, Va.). The Bulldog team finished second, breaking the NCAA Division II meet record with a time of 1:20.59.
 
The Bulldogs shaved almost exactly two seconds from their qualifying time of 1:22.58. Wingate’s splits were phenomenal, as Norman opened the race with a 20.14. Chagas topped his classmate with a 19.56. Richardson (20.52) and De Francisco (20.37) finished strong to give Wingate the silver medal. Blue Grass Mountain Conference rival Limestone College won the 200 Free Relay with a time of 1:19.25.
 
De Francisco and Norman were not finished, as they helped the Bulldogs close the day with an eighth-place showing in the 400 Medley Relay (3:23.69). Wingate senior Ben Schoenbachler (Monroe, Ga.) and freshman Lee Sousa (Cornelius, N.C.) joined the junior duo on the 400 Medley Relay team. Earlier in the day, the Bulldogs set a new school record with their preliminary time of 3:21.06.
 
Individually, the Wingate men recorded two All-American swims and one honorable mention All-American performance Thursday. Chagas placed second in his signature event, the 200 Freestyle. The 2007 national champion in the same race, Chagas posted a school-record time of 1:36.98. Drury sophomore Sergiy Bilov edged Chagas by 0.24, touching first in 1:36.74.
 
For historical perspective, Chagas won the 2007 national championship in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 1:38.70. Seven swimmers finished faster than 1:38.70 in Thursday’s 200 Freestyle event.
 
Wingate junior Kyle Corcoran (Kent, Wash.) gained another All-American plaque for his collection, as he finished fourth in the 400 Individual Medley with a time of 3:52.71. Corcoran’s time is a new Wingate school record. Bulldog sophomore Marcello Machado (Recife, Brazil) earned another honorable mention All-American distinction Thursday, as he placed 12th in the same race with a time of 3:59.16.
 
The Bulldog women placed 20th in the 200 Freestyle Relay with a time of 1:37.49. Wingate’s 200 Freestyle relay team includes 2008 All-Americans junior Lara Golesorkhi (Stuttgart, Germany) and sophomore Nicole Moody (Grovetown, Ga.). In addition, sophomore Cheryl Vaccaro (Charlotte, N.C.) and freshman Sarah Lawless (Holland, Mich.) are members of the 200 Freestyle Relay team.
 
Individually, Golesorkhi was 26th in the 100 Butterfly with a time of 57.46. Vaccaro finished 28th in the 200 Freestyle with a school-record time of 1:53.92. Vaccaro erased almost three seconds from her NCAA qualifying time (1:56.57).
 
Competition from the 2009 Division II National Championships Festival March 11-14 in Houston will be streamed live on-line at NCAA.com. Coverage will include four days of swimming and diving competition and two days of both wrestling and track and field. Links to each day’s video coverage can be found here.
 
This is the first winter-sports version of the popular festival format that crowns multiple champions at one location. The festival launched in Orlando in spring 2005, followed by a fall-sports version in 2006 and another spring festival in 2008.
 
The Wingate University men’s and women’s swimming teams qualified 13 student-athletes for the 2009 NCAA Division II national championships. The swimming venue for the winter sports festival is provided by the University of Houston