Delaware Women Place Eighth at Colonia Athltetic Association Championships; Hens Post Three Top 10 Finishes
February 25, 2012
• Complete Final Individual Results
FAIRFAX, Va. -- University of Delaware junior Ryan Roberts earned his first individual title of the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association Championships as the Blue Hen swimming and diving teams wrapped up the final day competition Saturday at George Mason University's McKay Natatorium.
The Delaware men finished fifth at the championships with 422 points while the women placed eighth with 238 points.
UNCW won its 11th straight men's championship crown with 683 points, followed by George Mason, William & Mary, Old Dominion, Delaware, Drexel and Towson.
James Madison recorded 771 points and took the team title away from defending champion Towson, which finished second, followed by UNCW, William & Mary, Old Dominion, Northeastern, George Mason, Delaware and Drexel.
Roberts captured the CAA 200 backstroke for the second straight year and did so in record-breaking fashion with a time of 1:46.71. He took down his own program record of 1:47.59 by nearly a second. It was also the only individual crown for a Blue Hen during the four-day meet.
Two other Blue Hens swam in the championship of that event with Matt McCarthy finishing just behind Roberts in third place in a time of 1:47.58 and Tim Ware placing eighth in a time of 1:50.95.
Delaware had a strong showing in the 200-yard butterfly with five Hens returning to swim at finals. In the championship final, Cole Clark was fourth (1:51.83) with Andrew Speese following right after in fifth (1:51.87). In the consolation final, Zachary Low placed 11th (1:52.73), Tim West was 14th (1:53.66), and Michael Moore was 16th (1:56.18).
Josh Hyman placed eighth in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:05.34 while Ben Evangelista finished 14th in 2:06.39. In the one-meter dive, Brian Coonce earned the third spot on the podium with a score of 296.95. Seth Bergman placed eight with a score of 222.50 while Nick Hoffman was 10th at 231.85. In the final event of the night, the men’s 400-yard freestyle relay, the UD squad of Paul Gallagher, Nick Woomer, Kyle McLaughlin, and Roberts placed fifth in 3:02.27.
On the women’s side, Delaware's Courtney Raw (at right) set her second individual record of the meet after placing 11th in the 200-yard backstroke. Her time of 2:00.89 broke Emily Smathers’ mark of 2:01.33 from the 2008-09 season.
Stephanie Dodd had the UD women’s best finish of the night, cruising to fourth place in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 16:44.13. Hannah Facchine also finished in the top eight with a seventh place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:19.79).
The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Dodd, Mary Kay Harris, Tori Gillespie and Raw finished fifth after clocking in at 3:26.54.
In the 200-yard butterfly, Megan Northshield picked up a 14th place finish in 2:03.65, while Elise Kanegawa placed right behind at 15th in 2:03.82.
AGATE:
Women’s Final Team Standings: 1. James Madison – 771; 2. Towson - 625; 3. UNCW -494; 4. William & Mary -476.5; 5. Old Dominion -327.5; 6. Northeastern -276; 7. George Mason – 253; 8. Delaware -238; 9. Drexel - 134
Top Delaware Finishers: 4th – Stephanie Dodd (1650-yard Freestyle, 16:44.13); 6th – 400-yard Freestyle Relay (Dodd, Harris, Gillespie, Raw, 3:26.54); 7th – Hannah Facchine (200-yard Breaststroke, 2:19.79); 11th – Courtney Raw (200-yard Backstroke, 2:00.75-UD Record); 14th – Megan Northshield (200-yard Butterfly, 2:03.65); 15th – Elisa Kanegawa (200-yard Butterfly, 2:03.82)
