LEXINGTON, Ky. - Wittenberg University's men's and women's swimming and diving teams put the finishing touches an an exceptional first half of the 2014-15 season with an outstanding performance at the Transylvania Invitational at the University of Kentucky's Lancaster Aquatic Center.
The Tigers picked up a championship trophy in the women's competition and claimed runner-up honors in the men's competition, behind only Rose-Hulman. Wittenberg was joined in the meet by the host Pioneers, John Carroll, Franklin, Sewanee and Rose-Hulman.
The team performances were remarkable considering the circumstances presented by a frightening injury suffered by senior diver Eric Roberts (Willits, Calif./Willits) during Saturday's 3-meter competition. News Release
Wittenberg's women tallied 820 total points to easily outdistance second-place John Carroll. The Tigers managed to win just three events in the meet, but Wittenberg pulled away thanks to a host of top-three finishes, including either second or third place in each of the five relay events.
The Tigers started with a second-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay featuring sophomore Emalie Taylor (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter), sophomore Maggie Simmons (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland), freshman Emily Faas (Mason, Ohio/Mason) and junior Dani Lacy (Louisville, Ky./Louisville Collegiate School). The quartet of sophomore Amy Schulz (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo), junior Madeline Kraft (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth), freshman Julia Valentine (Columbus, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) and Lacy touched the wall second in the 400-yard medley relay, and Faas, Simmons, junior Erica Precht (Wauseon, Ohio/Wauseon) and Lacy claimed runner-up honors in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
The foursome of Faas, senior Logan Griffith (Pickerington, Ohio/North), Precht and junior Margaret White (Westfield, Ind./Westfield) added a third place in the 800-yard freestyle relay, and the quartet of Schulz, Kraft, Valentine and Lacy rounded things out with a third in the 200-yard medley relay.
Lacy's strong performance in the relays was exceeded by her showing in the individual events. She finished first in the 200-yard freestyle, third in the 50-yard freestyle and first in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 52.71, which is just .57 off an NCAA B Cut.
Other top finishes in the pool were turned in by Schulz (third in the 200-yard Individual Medley, fourth in the 100-yard backstroke); Valentine (second in the 100-yard breaststroke, second in the 100-yard butterfly); Kraft (second in the 200-yard breaststroke); White (third in the 200-yard freestyle, fourth in the 1650-yard freestyle); and freshman Nikki McCollum (Fort Myers, Fla./Estero), who finished third in the 500-yard freestyle and second in teh 1650-yard freestyle.
Finally, the Tigers were well-represented in the diving well as freshman Kaitlyn Black (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) finished first in the 1-meter competition and second in the 3-meter. Both of her scores met NCAA Division III provisional qualifying standards and broke school records.
The men's competition was dominated by a deep Rose-Hulman team, which piled up 1,221.5 points. Wittenberg was second with 450, followed by Sewanee with 409.5.
The meet highlights for the Tiger men were provided by two individuals as seniors James Dumstorf (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) and AJ Burt (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) took turns winning races and meeting NCAA qualifying times. Dumstorf placed first in the 100-yard breaststroke with an NCAA B Cut time of 57.25 and fourth in the 200-yard butterfly.
Burt won a trio of events, topping the field in the 500-yard freestyle, first in the 400-yard Individual Medley and first in the 200-yard breaststroke. Burt's time of 4:05.83 in the 400 IM was good for a B Cut and his time of 2:06.66 in the 200 breast met the NCAA standard and broke a school record.
Rounding out the top individual finishes, junior Stephen Stuthers (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) took fourth in both the 200-yard Individual Medley and the 200-yard backstroke. In addition, Stuthers, freshman Kyle Smith (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro), Dumstorf and Burt teamed up to place second in the 200-yard medley relay, third in the 400-yard medley relay and third in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Written By: Ryan Maurer