The Brenau University swim team overwhelmed second place Wheeling Jesuit (WV) University to capture its second straight Appalachian Swimming Conference (ASC) championship in Christiansburg, Va., on Saturday.
The preseason favorite Golden Tigers amassed 560 points, winning seven individual and five relay events, to storm past Wheeling Jesuit by 93 points. Brenau also outpaced the Cardinals in the 2015 Appalachian Swim Championships by 65.5 points.
After maintaining a lead over the first two days, the Golden Tigers started the final day of competition with first and fourth place finishes in the 1,650 meter freestyle. Courtney Hayward, who won the 400 individual medley, as well as the 500 freestyle, earned her third individual championship by winning the 1,650 freestyle by a staggering 27 seconds (17:14.94). Sophomore Ella Kleinschmidt also secured a fourth place finish in 18:11.06 to earn another top eight finish for the squad.
Freshman Lindsay Dowling paired her 100 backstroke title with her second individual title of the meet, winning the 200 backstroke in 2:05.53.
Mary Katherine Jabbia and Sarah Frey added to the scoring with a second place and seventh place respective finishes in the 200 breaststroke, while in the final race of the championships, the 400 freestyle relay team of Alisha Hodgetts, Madison Kosater, Kleinschmidt and Hayward finished off the meet with yet another Golden Tiger victory.
In total, the Golden Tigers garnered 23 top eight finishes in the "A" cuts, as well as 12 total first place wins.
"It was an exciting weekend for Brenau," said first year head coach Nate Rhoads. "The ladies started off hot on Thursday night, winning the first relay and we held on to that lead the entire meet. It was a great team effort and I am so proud of this group. They've come together as a team, work hard for each other every day and have accomplished their goal of winning conference."
Brenau will now travel to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic (NAIA) Championships from March 2-6 in Columbus, Ga. In 2015, the Golden Tigers placed third at the National Championships, the highest finish in team history.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/2/370088/brenau-swimming-claims-second-straight-conference-crown-in-dominant-fashion