Boxscore / Watch 2009 CAA Highlight Video

FAIRFAX, Va. – The men’s 400-freestyle relay squad won the conference title, while Hans Gillan and Cortney Barry posted second-place finishes to lead the University of Delaware swimmers on the final day of the Colonial Athletic Association championship meet hosted by George Mason at the Jim McKay Natatorium.

Both Blue Hen teams improved upon their final standings on the last day of the meet. The men moved up to finish third with 491 points, while the women climbed to sixth with 331.

Overall, Towson won its second straight women’s title with 741 points, while UNC Wilmington captured its eighth consecutive championship on the men’s side after leading the way with 721 points.

On the women’s side, Cortney Barry (above) placed second in the 1,650-freestyle after cruising to a school-record time of 16:24.87. Not only did her time take over 20 seconds off Sarah Peffer’s previous mark, but it also topped the NCAA ‘B’ standard.

In the 200-backstroke, Emily Smathers led a strong showing by the Hens as the senior placed fourth and set a new school-record with a time of 2:01.33. She was followed closely by teammates Maryann Walker and Emily Watts, who finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

In other events on the women’s side, Marianne Flynn led the team with a ninth-place finish in the 200-breaststroke after setting a new school record with a time of 2:18.96. The 400-freestyle relay team, led by Walker, Sarah Begley, Meghan Barber, and Donna Healy, also set a new mark after placing sixth with a time of 3:26.79.

The Delaware men were led by their record-setting 400-freestyle relay team that won the championship and met the NCAA ‘B’ standard. The foursome of John Ohlhaver, Robert MacLeish, Grady Carter, and Hans Gillan cruised to the title with a time of 2:57.73.

Gillan, Carter, and MacLeish also had strong days in the 100-freestyle as the three Hens took three of the top four spots in the event.

After setting a new CAA record in the 100-free with a time of 44.25 during the preliminaries, Gillan saw his mark broken in the finals as the junior speedster was out-touched by Towson’s Eric Pinno. He eventually placed second and was closely followed by Carter and MacLeish, who finished third and fourth respectively.

Craig Young also set a new school record while finishing fifth in the 200-backstroke. The sophomore’s time of 1:48.89 took over a second off the old mark held by Ohlhaver, who fittingly finished right behind his teammate in the event with a sixth-place showing.

Freshman Josh Hyman also broke the school’s 10-year-old record in the 200-breaststroke with a time of 2:03.51 in the preliminaries before placing sixth in the finals.

In other men’s events, Michael Wodoslawsky posted a team-best finish in the 200-butterfly after placing 10th with a school-record time of 1:51.99. Matt Abbruzzese also finished sixth in the 3-meter board with a score of 307.65, while Craig Offutt led the team with an 18th place showing in the 1,650-freestyle after clocking in at 16:16.85.

WOMEN’S AGATE:

Final Standings: 1. Towson – 741. 2. William & Mary – 526. 3. UNC Wilmington – 476.5. 4. George Mason – 468. 5. James Madison – 389. 6. Delaware – 331. 7. Old Dominion – 309.5. 8. Northeastern – 224. 9. Drexel – 130.

Delaware Participants: 2nd Place – Cortney Barry (1,650-freestyle, 16:24.87). 4th Place – Emily Smathers (200-backstroke, 2:01.33). 5th Place – Maryann Walker (200-backstroke, 2:02.24). 6th Place – Emily Watts (200-backstroke, 2:03.00); 400-freestyle relay (Begley, Barber, Healy, Walker, 3:26.79). 9th Place – Stephanie Dodd (1,650-freestyle, 16:49.69); Marianne Flynn (200-breaststroke, 2:18.96). 13th Place – Meghan Barber (200-breaststroke, 2:21.71). 17th Place – Lauren Guntner (1,650-freestyle, 17:22.33). 19th Place – Kiley Friedrich (1,650-freestyle, 17:35.15).