Women's Swimming Ranked Sixth in Final Mid-Major Poll

03/14/08 4:55PM

NEW ORLEANS, LA - After posting seven NCAA-qualifying times in a runner-up performance at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships two weeks ago, the William and Mary women's swimming and diving team vaulted from 10th to sixth in the final CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major Power Poll of 2008.

The top of the poll reflected the Ivy League championships, with Ivy titlist Princeton holding the number one spot over runner-up Harvard, 207.77-204.92. Eastern Michigan out of the MAC was third with 196.26 points, just ahead of MAC champion Ohio University (196.16). Florida Atlantic rounded out the top five with 190.29 points.

William and Mary scored 187.86 points in the poll rubric, which assigns escalating point values to faster individual swims and better diving scores. Designed to give a rough approximation of relative dual-meet strength, the Mid-Major poll allows each team to counting two athletes in each event and one freestyle and one medley relay, with each athlete being restricted to scoring in a maximum of two events. Any team from a non-BCS school is eligible for the Mid-Major poll.

The Tribe finished the regular season at 7-4, 5-1 in the CAA, and won seven of its last eight dual meets before taking second at the conference championships. Olympic Trials-qualifier Katie Radloff (Arlington, Va.) won Swimmer of the Meet honors for the second year in a row at the CAA Championships after winning the 50, 100, and 200 freestyles, all with conference-record and NCAA-qualifying performances, and earning gold medals on the 400 free relay and 200 free relay, the latter in a conference-record and NCAA-qualifying time of 1:33.22.

Radloff will represent the College and the CAA next week at the NCAA Championships, competing in the 50,100, and 200 freestyles. The championships are being hosted by The Ohio State University, March 20-22.

CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major Top-25
Final Standings
1. Princeton 207.77
2. Harvard 204.92
3. Eastern Michigan 196.26
4. Ohio 196.16
5. Florida Atlantic 190.29
6. WILLIAM AND MARY 187.86
7. Navy 187.70
8. Denver 187.48
9. Columbia 183.57
10. Western Kentucky 182.96
11. Missouri State 181.13
12. Maryland-Baltimore County 181.09
13. North Texas 180.65
14. Oakland 180.63
15. UC-Irvine 180.55
16. UNC Wilmington 179.30
17. Florida Gulf Coast University 179.09
18. Northern Arizona University 178.97
19. Northeastern 178.96
20. Rider University 178.85
21. Davidson 178.26
22. Cal Poly SLO 178.13
23. Bucknell 177.79
24. Towson 177.21
25. Delaware 176.84

* Colonial Athletic Association opponents in Italics