Tampa Women, Nova Men Take SSC Titles

The University of Tampa won the inaugural Sunshine State Conference Women’s Swimming Championship on Sunday at the Central Florida YMCA Aquatic Center in Orlando while Nova Southeastern capped off their first season with a 213-point margin en route to the men's title. 
 
The Nova men amassed 956.5 points in the four-day competition.  Tampa finished second with 743.5 points.  The Spartans edged third-place Florida Southern with a win in the final event of the championship, the men’s 400-yard freestyle relay.  FSC concluded the championship with 740.5 points.  Saint Leo (402) and Rollins (394.5) rounded out the standings.
 
The Spartan women took the lead after day two at the championship and never looked back en route to a total score of 932 points.  Florida Southern finished second with 823.5 points.  Rollins placed third with 531.5 points.  Saint Leo (464) and Nova Southeastern (408) rounded out the standings.
 
Male Swimmer of the Meet Jorge Ospina highlighted the Sharks’ performance on the final day of action, winning the 200-yard butterfly with an NCAA Division II “A” standard time of 1:47.84.  Ospina collected a total of 60 points over the course of the championship to take home the meet’s top individual honor.

In Sunday’s final slate of action, freshman Heather Glenday started things off on a good note for Tampa by winning the 1,650-yard freestyle with an NCAA Division II “A” standard time of 17:05.04.  Catherine Patrell would also pad the Spartans’ lead with a golden finish in the 200-yard butterfly.  Patrell outpaced the field with a time of 2:06.53.
 
Florida Southern’s Mary O’Sullivan, who won Female Swimmer of the Meet honors, picked up another individual victory in the 200-yard backstroke.  O’Sullivan bettered her DII “A” standard time with a new mark of 1:58.31.  O’Sullivan tallied 60 points over the course of the four-day championship to claim the meet’s top individual honor.
 
Nova Southeastern’s Ewa Jamborska also notched an “A” standard time in her win in the 200-yard breaststroke.  Jamborska touched the wall with a mark of 2:16.29.
 
In the 100-yard freestyle championship final, Saint Leo’s Maggie Walker took the gold with a time of 51.62.
 
The only relay race of the evening went to Florida Southern, which claimed the 400-yard freestyle relay in an “A” standard time of 3:26.53.  O’Sullivan, Lisa Menne, Rae-Lynn Sheffield, and Cara Potter combined on the victory.

Also in Sunday’s final races, Tampa’s Chris O’Linger notched an “A” standard time in his win in the 1,650-yard freestyle.  O’Linger completed the grueling race in 15:34.87.
 
The Spartans also got a gold medal performance from David Humphrey, who placed first in the 100-yard freestyle with a mark of 45.34.
 
Florida Southern’s Jeb Halfacre earned an “A” standard time in the 200-yard backstroke, winning the race with a mark of 1:47.94.
 
The Moccasins also claimed the top spot on the medals podium with Miguel Ferreira victory in the 200-yard breaststroke.  Ferreira achieved an “A” standard mark by completing the race in 2:00.72.  NSU’s Armin Hornikel also tallied an “A” standard mark in the event, posting a time of 2:01.83 while placing second.