GRANVILLE, Ohio - The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams battled to the top half of the final North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championships standings, recording a pair of top-five finishes thanks to a strong Day 4 performance.
Denison earned the team title on the women's side with 1,930 points, followed by Kenyon with 1,740, DePauw at 1,176, Oberlin at 913 and Wittenberg with 883.5. The Big Red also claimed the top spot in the men's competition with 1,966.5 points, with Kenyon in the runner-up spot again at 1,758.5. DePauw finished third with 1,074, Wabash took fourth with 1,041 and Wittenberg rounded out the top five with 725.5.
The individual highlights of the fourth and final day of racing were provided by the senior breaststroke tandem of James Dumstorf (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) and AJ Burt (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming). Dumstorf placed fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke and Burt took eighth in the same event. Both bettered their seed times to improve their positions as NCAA Division III provisional qualifiers.
Other top-15 finishes for the Tiger men were recorded by senior Ed Young (Shaker Heights, Ohio/University School), who finished 14th in the 1,650-yard freestyle, freshman Lucas George (Brecksville, Ohio/Independence), who placed 15th in the 1,650-yard freestyle, and junior Stephen Stuthers (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic), who won the B-flight race in the 200-yard backstroke to place 10th overall in the event. Stuthers' time in the 200-yard backstroke was good for an NCAA B Cut.
For the women, freshman Nikki McCollum (Fort Myers, Fla./Estero) placed 10th in the 1,650-yard freestyle, junior Erin Swardenski (Fremont, Calif./Washington) added a first-place finish in the B-flight race of the 200-yard backstroke to claim 10th in the event, and junior Madeline Kraft (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth) matched that feat with a 10th-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke. Sophomore Amy Schulz (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) placed 11th in the 200-yard backstroke, junior Dani Lacy (Louisville, Ky./Louisville Collegiate School) took 13th in the 100-yard freestyle, junior Margaret White (Westfield, Ind./Westfield) finished 13th in the 1,650-yard freestyle, freshman Samantha Petruzzi (Medina, Ohio/Medina) claimed 13th in the 200-yard butterfly, and freshman Kelsey Gregory (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton) touched in 14th in the 200-yard butterfly.
Click here for complete results from the entire 2015 NCAC Championship meet.
Written By: Ryan Maurer