After 12 total events, the Denison men and women have both swum out to early leads at the 2015 North Coast Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championships. The Big Red won three of the evening's five events on the women's side to sit in first place with 598 points, while the DU men also topped the field in two of the six men's events and lead after night two with 663 points.
The Kenyon Ladies, who won the remaining two women's events of the night, sit in second place with 579 points, followed by DePauw (361), Oberlin (256), Wittenberg (218.5), Allegheny (204), Wooster (163.5), Ohio Wesleyan (130) and Hiram (98). The Kenyon Lords won three men's events on day two and currently hold the second spot in the standings with 500.5 points, followed by DePauw (360), Wabash (300.5), Oberlin (212), Ohio Wesleyan (184.5), Wooster (156), Wittenberg (155), Allegheny (95.5) and Hiram (92).
In the women's competition, Denison opened the night by winning the 200 free relay in an NCAC-record and NCAA "B" cut time of 1:31.98. Denison sophomore Campbell Costley (Glencoe, IL/New Trier) earned her first-career individual event conference title in the 500 free with an NCAC-record and NCAA "B" cut time of 4:49.85. The Big Red posted their third win of the night in the 200 IM after freshman Halli Garza (Stockton, CA/Brookside Christian) touched the wall first with an NCAA "B" cut time of 2:04.33. Kenyon collected its first event title of the 2015 championship meet, with sophomore Jenner McLeod (Madison, WI/Deerfield) reaching the wall in an NCAA "B" cut time of 23.36. The KC Ladies closed out the night with a first-place finish in the 400 medley relay with an NCAA "B" cut time of 3:45.46.
The Kenyon men topped the podium in the first men's event of the night with an NCAA "B" cut time of 1:19.92 in the 200 free relay. In the men's 500 free, Wabash junior Jack Belford (Carmel, IN/Carmel) became the first Little Giants' swimmer to win an individual event at the conference meet since 2011 after he reached the wall first with an NCAA"B" cut time of 4:29.24. The first NCAC men's record of the night fell in the men's 200 IM after Denison junior Joe Brunk (Raleigh, NC/Enloe) posted the top effort in the championship final with an NCAA "B" cut time of 1:49.35. It was a race to the wall in the men's 50 free that ultimately ended in a dead tie with a time of 20.43 between Kenyon senior Austin Caldwell (Loveland, OH/Loveland) and Denison junior Conrad Wuorinen (Gahanna, OH/Columbus Acad.). Denison senior Connor Dignan (Phoenix, AZ/Desert Vista) successfully defended his league title in the three-meter diving competition with an NCAA regional qualifying score of 588.00 points. Finally, the night came to a close on the men's side with Kenyon narrowly edging Denison by a tenth of a second in the 400 medley relay with an NCAC-record and NCAA"B" cut time of 3:15.83.
Visit the championship website for complete results from day two: (Denison Site)
The 2015 NCAC Swimming & Diving Championships continue through Saturday evening. Preliminary events start at 10:00 a.m. both days, while finals begin at 6:30 p.m.
Team Standings -- Day Two
MEN
1. Denison 663.0
2. Kenyon 500.5
3. DePauw 360.0
4. Wabash 300.5
5. Oberlin 212.0
6. Ohio Wesleyan 184.5
7. Wooster 156.0
8. Wittenberg 155.0
9. Allegheny 95.5
10. Hiram 92.0
WOMEN
1. Denison 598.0
2. Kenyon 579.0
3. DePauw 361.0
4. Oberlin 256.0
5. Wittenberg 218.5
6. Allegheny 204.0
7. Wooster 163.5
8. Ohio Wesleyan 130.0
9. Hiram 98.0
