Division III men's swimming & diving - Day 1
Highlighted by Andrew Wilson’s national record-setting performance in the 200 IM and a record-breaking effort in the 200 medley relay, Emory holds the early lead at the 2017 NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming & Diving Championship which kicked off Wednesday at the Conroe ISD Natatorium.
Through four of 20 events, Emory has totaled 135 points. Kenyon trails with 103 points followed by Johns Hopkins with 65 and defending champion Denison with 63.
Wilson, who returned to the championships after taking off last year for Olympic training, earned gold in the 200 IM while breaking his own record from 2015 with a finishing time of 1:44.18. Evan Holder of Johns Hopkins was second in a time of 1:44.90 and Jackson Lindell of Denison placed third with a time of 1:46.28.
The Eagles made it back-to-back individual titles when Oliver Smith defended his title in the 50 free and touched the wall in 19.55 — the exact winning time the junior posted a year ago. Jesse Novak of Rowan, the event winner in 2015, placed second in a time of 19.85, and Ryan Boraski of Keene State was third in a time of 20.01.
Capping off the evening, the Emory relay team of Sage Ono, Wilson, Cooper Tollen and Smith set a new NCAA mark with a finishing time of 1:26.14. It was the third time in program history that Emory has won this event (2005 and 2014). Denison took second place with a time of 1:28.89 and Washington (Mo.) placed third in a time of 1:28.99.
In addition to the 200 medley relay win, Emory men picked up six All-America swims — three in the 500 free, one in the 200 IM and two in the 50 free.
Kenyon’s Arthur Conover established the record-breaking tone for the evening as the senior demolished the previous championship record in the 500 free to open the finals session. He touched the wall in a blistering time of 4:18.35 — over two seconds faster than the previous standard of 4:20.60. The national title is the second for Conover as he won the 1650 free in 2015. Andrew Greenhalgh of Johns Hopkins, the former record holder and two-time defending champion in the event, placed second in a time of 4:19.66. Thomas Gordon of Emory was third with a finishing time of 4:22.69.
Three of the four men’s events contested Wednesday evening produced NCAA Division III record-breaking swims. Additionally, the victories by the Emory women and men in the 200 medley relay marked the first time since 2007 that the same school has swept both events.
The championships continue Thursday morning with prelims beginning at 10 a.m. CT, followed by finals at 6 p.m. This year’s championship event is being hosted by the City of Shenandoah and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Division III women's swimming & diving - Day 1
Seven-time defending champion Emory University capped opening night with a victory in the 200 medley relay and established the early lead after Day One of the 2017 NCAA Division III Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.
Through five of 20 events, Emory has totaled 137 points. Williams trails with 101 points followed by Kenyon with 88 and Denison with 73.
The 200 medley relay team of Cindy Cheng, Annelise Kowalsky, Marcela Sanchez-Aizcorbe and Marissa Bergh took top honors for Emory with a finishing time of 1:40.83. The victory marked the second consecutive for the Eagles in the event and the fourth since 2011. For the second consecutive year, Denison placed second in the 200 medley relay — this year in a time of 1:41.33. Williams was third with a finishing time of 1:41.60.
In addition to the 200 medley relay win, the Emory women picked up All-America swims by Kowalsky and Julia Durmer in the 200 IM and Bergh and Fiona Muir in the 50 free.
The championships continue tomorrow morning with prelims beginning at 10 a.m., followed by finals at 6 p.m. This year’s championship event is begin hosted by the City of Shenandoah and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and is being held at the Conroe ISD Natatorium.
The first event final of the meet was the 500 freestyle where Meg Stanley of Illinois Wesleyan produced the first national swimming title in program history with a finishing time of 4:50.76. Campbell Costley of Denison placed second in a time of 4:50.81, and Marysol Arce of Kenyon, the defending champion in the event, finished third in a time of 4:51.79.
In the 200 yard IM, Honore Collins of New York University scored her first national title in her first-ever championship swim, as the freshman touched in a winning time of 2:00.97. Olivia Jackson of Williams was second in a time of 2:01.49 and Kowalky of Emory came in third with a time of 2:01.81. It was the senior’s third top-three finish in the event at the national meet.
Williams’ Emma Waddell picked up an individual title in the 50 free, touching the wall in a time of 22.69. The mark was good for a new meet record. Emory’s Muir was second in a time of 22.74 — the second consecutive year she has been runner-up in the event. Defending champion Emma Paulson of St. Thomas was third in a time of 23.09.
On the women’s 3-meter board, Maura Sticco-Ivins of Wellesley won with a score of 504.00. The title is her third as she won both the 1-meter and 3-meter competition at this same facility in Shenandoah in 2015. She was runner-up on the 3-meter board a year ago. Rounding out the top three, Nickie Griesemer of Ithaca was second with a score of 497.20 and Meghan Bartlett of SUNY-Fredonia placed third with a score of 481.05.
