Amherst Finishes Second at 2008 NCAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championships
OXFORD, Ohio - Amherst was the top NESCAC finisher at the 2008 NCAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championships, placing second among the field. Williams placed fifth, while Middlebury was seventh to round out the NESCAC teams among the top 10 teams. Amherst's Brittany Sasser (Belmont, Mass.) was named Swimmer of the Meet for the second year in a row, while Tufts' Kendall Swett (Akron, Ohio) was named Diver of the Meet.
Sasser earned the sweep in the backstroke events, as she cruised to first-place in the 200 with a national-meet record time of 1:56.33, more than five seconds ahead of the runner-up (2:01.44). Sasser also won and set a new record in the 100 back on Friday (53.85).
Sasser’s freshman teammate, Kendra Stern, won her third individual national championship of the weekend, besting the field in the 100 freestyle with a time of 49.78 Saturday. She emerged victorious in the 500 free (4:52.34) on Thursday and the 200 free (1:47.19) Friday.
Rounding out Saturday’s champions were Marika Ross of Middlebury in the 200 butterfly (2:01.49), Tufts University’s Kendall Swett in three-meter diving (509.30), and Amherst’s 400 freestyle relay of Stern, Sasser, Erin Morrison, and Meaghan Stern (3:23.64), the latter two setting national-meet records.
Coach-of-the-Year honors went to Amherst’s Nick Nichols for swimming and Tuft’s Brad Snodgrass for diving.
