CHAMPS!!!

William and Mary Wins First CAA Championship

02/17/07 9:41PM

FAIRFAX, VA - It was 80 years coming from the day the first woman at William and Mary stepped foot into a pool, but the Tribe women’s swimming and diving team has won the first Colonial Athletic Association Swimming and Diving Championship in school history. Not only the first conference championship for either swimming team, men or women, it was also the first CAA winter-season team championship in the history of the College.

Freshman phenom Katie Radloff (Arlington, Va.) was named the Performer of the Meet after racking up six gold medals and as many conference-meet records. For guiding the Tribe effort, which included a record-tying 12 gold medals (out of 20 events), Director of Swimming and Diving McGee Moody was named the Women’s Coach of the Year.

Several dominating performances in the finals sealed the deal for the Tribe before the last relay was even called to the blocks. Freshman Jill Hamilton (Bethesda, Md.) took third in the 1,650 free with a school-record performance, 17:09.83. That broke Karen Laslo’s 17-year old record, and her 1,000 split of 10:22.86 also moved past Laslo to stand second all-time. Classmate Tage Waite (Norfolk, Va.) was 10th in 17:28.07, the fifth-best time in school history, and her 1,000 split of 10:29.46 is fourth-best at the College. Sophomore Marina Falcone (Potomac, Md.) finished 12th in 17:32.88, and senior Erin Hammersley (Manassas, Va.) finished her career in high style, placing 15th in 17:36.71. That is the seventh-best mile performance in school history, and her 1,000 split of 10:39.10 moved her onto the all-time top-10 list at number ten.

In the 200 back, junior Meredith David (Somerdale, N.J.) collected her second silver medal of the meet, finishing second in a school-record time of 2:02.92. Freshman Suzanne Figuers (Cary, N.C.) was 10th in 2:07.00, the fifth-best time in school history. Classmate Laura Herrmann (Fairfax Station, Va.) finished 13th in 2:08.81.

Radloff was dominant once again in the 100 freestyle, winning in a new meet-record time and NCAA “B” cut time of 49.66. Senior captain Marnie Rognlien (Nokesville, Va.) took third in a personal-best time of 51.29.

Senior captain Kelly Reitz (Chesapeake, Va.) collected the seventh gold medal of her career in the 200 breast, swimming an NCAA “b” cut time and personal record of 2:16.72. Freshman Courtney Alles (Manassas Park, Va.), making her third championship finals appearance, took fifth in a personal-best 2:23.65. Sophomore Rebecca Brofft (Fairfax, Va.) finished 15th in the consolation finals with a time of 2:28.72.

In the 200 fly, freshman Erin Welshofer (Charlotte, N.C.) won her third championship of the meet, breaking the school record she set in the preliminaries with a new best of 2:03.36. Sophomore Whitney Pezza (Warrenton, Va.) locked up the team title for the Tribe by finishing ahead of UNCW’s only entrant in the fly, taking fourth in 2:05.69.

The last event may have been the sweetest. The 400 free relay team of Radloff, Alles, Falcone, and Rognlien went neck-and-neck with Towson the entire way, with Rognlien, the captain, swimming her 100 yards in 50.52 and overtaking Towson’s anchor in the last ten yards for the win, and the new school, conference, conference meet, and pool record-time of 3:24.84. That time also gave the team and NCAA “B” qualification.

FINAL STANDINGS
1 WILLIAM AND MARY 623
2 UNC WILMINGTON 572.5
3 TOWSON 565
4 GEORGE MASON 462
5 DELAWARE 331
6 NORTHEASTERN 259.5
7 DAVIDSON 211
8 DREXEL 196
9 JAMES MADISON 186
T10 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 159.5
T10 OLD DOMINION 159.5