Day 1 Photo Gallery
Feb. 21, 2008
2008 Patriot League Swimming and Diving Championship Page
Annapolis, Md. - The first day of the 2008 Patriot League Swimming and Diving Championship is in the books, and all eight schools are off to the races. Navy's Lejeune Hall was bursting at the seams with anticipation for what promised to be one of the most exciting championship meets in recent memory. The United States Naval Academy band started the evening with an always poignant rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, as the teams were set to begin the three-day event.
In the first event of the evening session, the women's 200yd Free Relay kicked things off. The race was highly contested throughout, and provided a thrilling finish as the team from Navy edged the team from Colgate by less than one second. Swimming for Navy was Allison Ranzau, Kelly Zahalka, Rachel Gray and Thuy-Mi Dinh, who recorded a time of 1:34.63. Colgate finished the race in a time of 1:35.20.
The men followed the women with the 200yd Free Relay, and an interesting race ensued. Lehigh got off to a great start and led for most of the race, holding the lead until the final lap. It was Navy's Alex Oldenkamp who came through for the home team, catching up to and ultimately swimming by Lehigh for the win. The Navy team consisting of Joe Unruh, Nathan Durham, Alex Buck and Oldenkamp combined to finish the race in a time of 1:22.44. Bucknell finished second in a time of 1:23.42, while Colgate earned third-place points in a time of 1:24.53. Lehigh was disqualified in the event.
The second set of finals were in the men's and women's 500yd Free. It was a one-two finish for Navy on the women's side, as sophomore Tara Chapmon earned the first individual title of the '08 championship meet with a time of 4:46.70. That time was a new Patriot League and Patriot League Championship meet record. Teammate Allison Ranzau provided the Mids with a boost by coming in just behind Chapmon in a time of 4:49.74 to gain crucial second-place points. Coming in third place was American senior Meghan Thiel, who swam the race in a time of 4:52.04.
In the men's 500yd Free, Bucknell sophomore Luke Trafton earned the victory a year after finishing second in the event by just 0.27 seconds. Trafton, the 2007 Outstanding Rookie of the Meet, swam this year's race in a time of 4:28.97, exactly three seconds ahead of Kyle Newman of Army, who finished in second. Army's Jeff Tolbert edged out Navy's J.J. Helms to gain third place in the event.
After four events, Navy had the lead on the men's side (87 points) and the women's side (80 points). Army trailed on the men's side by just four points, while Bucknell trailed by 13 on the women's side.
Event number five for the evening session was the women's 200yd Individual Medley. Colgate's Erin McGraw, the top seed in the event, won one of the closest races of the day as she edged Navy's Kelly Zahalka, the 2007 champion in the event, by less than one second. McGraw pulled ahead slightly during the final half of the backstroke portion (second of four strokes), but Zahalka caught up during the breaststroke. The two were neck and neck as they made the turn for home, and it was McGraw who just barely out kicked Zahalka down the stretch. McGraw finished in a time of 2:03.30, while Zahalka came in with a time of 2:03.38. Bucknell's Lauren Russell earned a third-place finish with a time of 2:07.87.
The men's 200yd Individual Medley final was next, and it was just as thrilling as the women's race that preceded it. Army senior Jake Mentele, who entered the 2008 championship as the career leader in Patriot League championship meet points, won the race in a time of 1:51.87. Navy's Billy Vey, the 2007 champion in the event, finished as the runner-up in a time of 1:52.23, while American's Dan Nagelberg notched a third-place finish in a time of 1:53.11.
After six events, Navy had extended their lead over Army on the men's side, as the teams tallied 135 and 123 points, respectively. Bucknell managed to trim Navy's lead on the women's side following the 200 IM event, and after six events it was Navy 125 and Bucknell 116. The Bucknell men (113 points) and Colgate women (103 points) each found themselves in third place after six events.
The women's 50yd Freestyle race featured Navy's Thuy Mi-Dinh, who earlier in the day in the prelim race set what at the time was a Patriot League Championship meet record in the event with a time of 22.57 seconds. That wasn't enough for the sophomore, however, as Dinh swam an impressive 22.37 second race to win the event in the evening session. The time is a new Patriot League Championship meet record and was an NCAA `A' Cut mark as well. Finishing second in the race was American's Dorothy Isaacs in a time of 23.96, while Lafayette's Marcella Nehrbass and Katie Kaczka finished third and fourth, respectively.
In the men's 50yd Freestyle race, it was top-seeded Alex Oldenkamp of Navy who hit the wall first, winning the race in a time of 20.35 seconds. Each of the eight finalists finished within one second of one another, providing for a thrilling conclusion to the race. Lehigh's Dan Johnson took second-place honors in a time of 20.91, while Bucknell's J.B. Peterman finished third in a time of 21.11 seconds.
Through eight events, the Navy men held the top spot with 190 points, while Bucknell moved into second (150) and Army dropped back to third (129). The Navy women had seen their early lead all but disappear, as they led Colgate by a slight edge of 153.5 to 149. Bucknell continued to hold the third spot with 129.5 points.
The swimmers took a break for the ninth event of the evening, as the women's 3m diving competition took center stage. Navy's Katie Griffin (281.70 points) led after the afternoon's prelims, and she was followed by Army's Lindsey Adao (248.50) and Bucknell's Rebecca Bersani (244.80). In the evening's final, Griffin bettered her score in the prelims by recording a total of 300.75 points, which earned her the victory. Finishing in second place was Adao, who recorded a score of 259.90 in the finals, while Navy's Desiree Robison tallied 246.90 points to take third place.
The final two events of the evening were the exhilarating men's and women's 400yd Medley Relay races. In the women's race, it was Colgate who swam away with the victory in a time of 3:49.50. Navy and Colgate were virtually tied throughout the first two strokes in the four-stroke race, but it was Erin McGraw's fantastic performance in the third leg of the race (Butterfly) that blew the race open for the Raiders. The Midshipmen recorded a time of 3:51.99 to finish in second place, while Bucknell secured third place in a time of 3:54.04.
In the nightcap, all of the participants lined the pool deck for the thrilling men's 400yd Medley Relay race. It was Bucknell, who held off a late charge from Navy, who secured a first-place finish in a time of 3:21.98. Bucknell held a slight advantage heading into the third-leg of the relay, but similarly to the women's race, it was Grant Steadman's performance in the Butterfly that gave the Bison the edge that they needed. J.B. Peterman swam a solid final leg to hold off a late charge from Navy's Alex Oldenkamp in the Freestyle portion. Navy finished second in a time of 3:23.42, just beating Army, who finished with a time of 3:23.42.
After 11 events, Navy leads on both sides. For a complete list of the team standings, please look at the list below.
For all of today's results, as well as the schedule for the rest of the weekend, please visit the Patriot League Swimming and Diving Championship page. The page can be found on the swimming and diving page of the Patriot League website, or by clicking the following link.
2008 Patriot League Swimming and Diving Championship Page
Evening Session #1 - Champions
Women's 200yd Free Relay: Navy (Ranzau, Zahalka, Gray, Dinh) - 1:34.63
Men's 200yd Free Relay: Navy (Unruh, Durham, Buck, Oldenkamp) - 1:22.44
Women's 500yd Free: Tara Chapmon, Navy - 4:46.70 **
Men's 500yd Free: Luke Trafton, Bucknell - 4:28.97
Women's 200yd IM: Erin McGraw, Colgate - 2:03.30
Men's 200yd IM: Jake Mentele, Army - 1:51.87
Women's 50yd Free: Thuy Mi-Dinh, Navy - 22.37 **
Men's 50yd Free: Alex Oldenkamp, Navy - 20.35
Women's 3m Diving: Katie Griffin, Navy - 300.75
Women's 400yd Medley Relay: Colgate (Walker, Murphy, McGraw, Bottger) - 3:49.50
Men's 400yd Medley Relay: Bucknell (Kawczenski, Bennett, Steadman, Peterman) - 3:21.98
** - Patriot League Record and Patriot League Championship Meet Record
Team Standings - After Day One
Men
1. Navy 224
2. Bucknell 190
3. Army 161
4. Colgate 93
5. American 92
6. Lehigh 57
7. Holy Cross 48
8. Lafayette 28
Women
1. Navy 223.5
2. Bucknell 203.5
3. Colgate 189
4. Army 123
5. Lafayette 116
6. Lehigh 95
7. American 86
8. Holy Cross 56
