Four Swimmers Earn Individual Crowns at Day One of NCAA Championships

Courtesy Amherst Sports Information

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Four NESCAC swimmers came away with national titles during day one of the 2011 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships at the University of Tennessee’s Allan Jones Aquatic Center.

Among the NESCAC teams competing at the event, the Williams women's team is third overall following day one with 90 points, while the Eph men's squad are fourth with 54 points.

Stern’s eighth individual NCAA title was as dominant as her first seven were, as she finished more than four and a half seconds ahead of Williams College’s Caroline Wilson, who won the event last year. Stern led Wednesday’s race from start to finish, putting in a time of 4:43.37 to best the previous national record of 4:45.47. Her performance was more than 15 seconds ahead of the eighth-place mark and was nearly a nine-second improvement from the time that won her a national title as a first-year (4:52.34). Stern also holds national records in the 100- and 200-yard freestyles.

Amherst was even more impressive in the men’s 500, as the Lord Jeffs picked up 42 points to take an early lead in the team standings. Lichtenfels placed sixth in the event as a first-year and was fifth a year ago, but his time of 4:23.91 on Wednesday was good enough to mark his second career win at the NCAA Championships.

Fraser—the two-time defending champion in the 500—won a great battle for second place by putting in a time of 4:25.58. Although he finished in second on Wednesday, Fraser still holds the national record in the event (4:21.95).

Williams junior Logan Todhunter repeated in the 200-yard IM as she came away with her sixth national title. Todhunter posted a time of 2:01.71.

Eph sophomore Paul Dyrkacz took the men's 200-yard IM in a time of 1:49.10. Dyrkacz was named the NESCAC Most Outstanding Performer at the conference meet earlier this month.

Following day one, Amherst is second among NESCAC women's teams in 14th place with 21 points, while Hamilton is tied for 30th overall with four. On the men's side, Amherst is seventh (42), Middlebury 11th (28), and Tufts 13th (23).

Action resumes tomorrow at the Jones Aquatic Center with day two.