Ithaca Women's Swimmers Make Four NCAA Cuts, Build Huge Lead After Day 1 Of Conference Meet
Webster, N.Y. – The Ithaca women's swimming & diving team got off to a fast start and built a 114.5-point lead in the standings following the opening day of the 2011 UNYSCSA and Empire 8 championship meet Wednesday at the Webster Aquatic Center. The Bombers met an NCAA A qualifying standard, two B qualifying marks, and a diving standard while setting a school record and championship-meet record.
Senior Sheila Rhoades (Dryden/Dryden) won the championship in the 50-yard freestyle, made the NCAA A cut and bettered her own championship-meet record with a time of 23.29 seconds in the event finals.
Ithaca advanced four swimmers to the finals of the 200-yard individual medley, highlighted by sophomore Carly Jones (Liverpool/Liverpool) who made an NCAA B cut and won the event with a school-record time of 2:06.60. Freshman Carlene Ostromecki (Boyertown/Gilbertsville, Pa.) finished fourth in 2:11.21, freshman Lauren Brundage (St. Elizabeth/Madison, N.J.) was sixth in 2:12.52 and freshman Elizabeth Gawrys (Ballston Spa/Ballston Spa) clocked in at 2:14.91 to place eighth in the event finals.
Junior diver Jodi Costello (Framingham/Framingham, Mass.) won the UNYSCSA and Empire 8 title on the 3-meter diving board with a score of 435.15, which met the provisional diving standard for 11 dives. Four other Ithaca divers placed in the top-eight. Freshman Korie Fackler (Central Dauphin East/Harrisburg, Pa.) was third (392.85), sophomore Heather Markus (Saratoga Springs/Greenfield Center) was fifth, senior Katie Kaiser (Clarence/Clarence Center) was seventh (378.00) and graduate student Naomi Mar (Dansville/Dansville) was eighth (351.95).
The 200-yard medley relay team of Ostromecki, sophomore Madi Sherry (Orchard Park/Orchard Park), Jones and Rhoades placed second in 1:45.54, which met the NCAA B qualifying standard and is the second-fastest time in school history.
Freshman Kate Sessler (Livonia/Livonia) was fifth in the finals of the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:08.60.
Action continues Thursday with event preliminaries at 10 a.m. and event finals beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Day 1 Preliminary Results |
Day 1 Final Results