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William & Mary Men, James Madison Women Remain In Lead After Day 2 of CAA Champs

William & Mary and James Madison each remained atop the team standings on the men’s and women’s sides, respectively, after Day 2 of the 2017 CAA Swimming and Diving Championships at the Christiansburg Aquatics Center.
 
Thursday’s finals session was highlighted by the men's and women's 500-yard freestyle, the men's and women's 200-yard individual medley, the men's and women's 50-yard freestyle, and the men’s 3-meter dive. Day 2 from the title meet concluded with the men's and women's 200-yard freestyle relays.

500-Yard Free
James Madison freshman Kristi Darmody opened Day 2 with the first CAA title of her career, touching the wall first in 4:51.61. Maria Oceguera of William & Mary and fellow Tribe swimmer Morgan Smith followed in second (4:52.14) and third (4:54.89), respectively.

On the men’s side, William & Mary sophomore Carter Kale capped an impressive comeback in the final stretch, winning with an NCAA qualifying time of 4:24.73. Towson’s Brandon Ress still turned in a productive race after leading for most of the way, finishing second in 4:25.96. Tribe freshman Ian Bidwell grabbed bronze in 4:26.70.

200-IM
After finishing third a year ago at the title meet, James Madison’s Shannon Harper answered with a first-place finish in 2:01.78. Madison picked up 16 more points thanks to a third-place finish from defending event champion Katie Parker (2:02.26), while Towson’s Kendall Krumenacker won silver with a time of 2:02.11 for the first individual medal of her career.

Competing in his first CAA Championships, Drexel freshman Jason Arthur cruised to a new meet and all-time conference record, touching the wall in 1:45.92. Former CAA Swimmer of the Year Jeremiah O’Donnell of William & Mary owned the previous mark of 1:46.38, set at the 2015 championships. Another freshman, Ben Skopic of W&M, followed in second place (1:47.02), with Towson’s Jack Saunderson rounding out the top 3 in 1:49.20.

50-Free
William & Mary’s Jaimie Miller successfully defended her own title from 2016, and welcomed a familiar face on the podium. Jaimie Miller won with a time of 20.35, while her sister Annie followed in second with a time of 22.93. 2016 CAA Women’s Swimmer of the Year Rachel Bernhardt of Drexel won bronze in 23.21.
The Tribe men added to a big night for the Green and Gold, sweeping the top four spots in the event. Impressively, freshmen Colin Wright (19.96) and Jack Doherty (20.16) grabbed gold and silver, and junior Tommy Kealy won bronze with a time of 20.22.

Men’s 3-Meter Dive
UNCW redshirt junior Allen Crosby outlasted Drexel freshman Anthony Musciano on his final dive of the night, scoring 313.45 overall points to earn the first gold medal of his career. Crosby previously picked up second and third place finishes on the 1-meter in recent championships. Musciano scored 295.75 for silver and 2016 Men’s Rookie Diver of the Year, Michael Binkasukas of Drexel, finished third with 260.20 points. The men’s 3-meter prelims and finals take place on Saturday.

200-Free Relay
The Tribe women capped their day with a win in the 200-free relay - and 40 team points - as the team of Jaimie Miller, Annie Miller, Emma Harold and Katie Sell touched the wall in 1:30.95. It marked the third consecutive year that W&M captured the event title. Drexel (1:32.91) and JMU (1:33.27) followed in order for second and third.

Much like the women, the Tribe men also ended the night on a high note. Wright, Doherty, Kealy and Eiden again helped their team’s cause, winning gold with a time of 1:19.03. The performance not only set a championship record for the event, but it also set the all-time CAA mark established in 2013 by UNCW.
 
Men’s Teams Standings – Day 2
William & Mary (319.5)
Drexel (252)
Towson (212.5)
UNCW (166.5)
Delaware (118.5)
 
Women’s Team Standings – Day 1
James Madison (273)
William & Mary (251.5)
Towson (202.5)
Drexel (164)
Northeastern (162)
UNCW (126)
Delaware (59)

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