GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Emory & Henry College Women's Swimming Team remains in second place after day two of the 2014 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championships, held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. The Wasps earned a pair of individual event wins and finished second in the 200-yard medley and 800-yard freestyle relays on the day.
Freshman Allison Fowler (Morristown, Tenn.) won the 400-individual medley in record-setting fashion, crushing the previous best ODAC mark by over four seconds with her swim of 4:33.74. She also earned a NCAA "B" Qualifying Standard in the process. Freshman Liz Kleveno (Fredericksburg, Va.) was third (4:40.05) in the race while sophomore Nicole Powell (Apex, N.C.) finished seventh (4:52.00).
In the 100-yard breaststroke, freshman Michaela Nolte (Hillsborough, N.C.) won the event with a time of 1:05.49, bettering her "B" cut and ODAC record in the process. Kleveno (1:06.89) took the runner-up spot while freshman Kia Hamilton (Memphis, Tenn.) and sophomore Sophia Alonge (Vienna, Va.) were ninth and 14th, respectively, with their swims in the consolation final.
The Wasps had a pair of swimmers in the final of the 100-yard butterfly in sophomore Payton Shirey (Seaford, Del.) and sophomore Taylor Guardalabene (Charlotte, N.C.). Shirey went 1:00.49 to finish fifth while Guardalabene was sixth (1:00.85).
The 100-yard backstroke saw freshman Jessica Richardson (Vero Beach, Fla.) finish fourth (:59.52) while freshmen Jordan Greenburg (Cordova, Tenn.) and Olivia Shumate (North Wilkesboro, N.C.) were ninth and 11th, respectively.
In the 200-yard freestyle, sophomore Sam Brown (Memphis, Tenn.) was eighth with a time of 2:03.30 while freshman Lauren Blakey (Davidson, N.C.) finished 16th.
The 200-yard medley relay of Richardson, Nolte, Guardalabene and Shirey clocked a 1:48.31 for a new E&H record earning a runner-up finish to open competition. The 800-yard freestyle relay was also second, as Richardson, Kleveno, Guardalabene and Fowler swam an 8:02.40 to finish nearly 15 seconds ahead of third place in the last event of the day.
As expected, Washington and Lee University holds a large lead over the field after two days of competition. The Generals have scored 643 points so far in the championship. Emory & Henry is solidly in second place with 382 points, 51 ahead of Randolph-Macon College (331).
The ODAC Championship will conclude with third round of preliminaries and finals on Sunday. Prelims begin at 10:00 a.m., with the final set to commence at 5:30 p.m.
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Emory & Henry started day two with several impressive swims, setting another thrilling night of finals at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Most notably, Nolte achieved the program's first-ever NCAA Championship qualifying standard, earning a "B Cut" in the 100-yard breaststroke. Her swim of 1:05.74 was also good enough to break the Emory & Henry and ODAC record.
Emory & Henry started off the day turning in the top time in the 200-yard medley relay (1:55.82). The squad of Richardson, Hamilton, Guardalabene and Shumate put the Wasps in the center of the pool for the first race in tonight's finals.
Fowler qualified first in the 400-yard individual medley (4:40.02). She will be joined in the final by Kleveno and Powell as they qualified fifth and seventh, respectively.
The Wasps have two swimmers in the final of the 100-yard butterfly. Guardalabene, who finished fourth in the event last year, qualified fifth while Shirey was seventh fastest in the prelims.
In the 200-yard freestyle, Brown sneaked into to the final at eighth while Blakey will swim in the consolation final, qualifying 15th.
Nolte will be joined by three other Wasps this evening in the 100-breast. Kleveno is seeded second while Hamilton and Alonge are 11th and 14th after their preliminary races, respectively.
Emory & Henry also has a trio of swimmers in the 100-yard backstroke tonight. Richardson is seeded second while Greenburg and Shumate are 11th and 12th after prelims and will swim in the consolation final.
Also tonight will be a timed final event in the 800-yard freestyle relay. The Wasps posted the second-fastest time during the regular season and will be in a two-team race for the title.
Check back this evening for a recap of the finals.
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-photo courtesy of Jamie Powell