Tigers Cap NCAC Championships In Fifth Place
Molly Gustafson posts a pair of NCAA Division III B Cut times, while Jane Tsivitse breaks her own school record to highlight final day at conference meet.
CANTON, Ohio – The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams put the finishing touches on the 2013 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship meet with sixth and fifth place finishes, respectively.
The Tiger women maintained their fifth-place position from the beginning to the end of the day, piling up a total of 766.5 points. Denison won the title, followed closely by Kenyon, with DePauw third and Wooster fourth, 25.5 points clear of the Tigers.
The Tiger men also held on to their position throughout the day, checking in with 563 points to place sixth. Denison won the title by a fairly wide margin, followed by Kenyon, DePauw, Wabash and Wooster, which held a 28-point edge on the Tigers.
The individual highlights were again numerous, starting with senior Claire Shannon (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin), who checked in ninth in the arduous 1650-yard freestyle competition. She was followed closely by sophomore Melissa Hascher (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) and freshman Margaret White (Westfield, Ind./Westfield) in 12th and 13th places, respectively.
The first NCAA Division III qualifying time of the day for Wittenberg was posted by junior Sarah Wilson (Centennial, Colo./Arapahoe), as she touched the wall in eighth place in the 200-yard backstroke in a time of 2:06.95, a mere .02 under the threshold in the event.
Just moments after, freshman Steve Stuthers (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) placed a respectable 11th in the 200-yard backstroke in a time of 1:55.76. Senior Andrew Koukis (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) also scored points in the event with his 13th-place finish.
Perhaps the day's biggest high point came in the women's 200-yard breaststroke as junior Molly Gustafson (West Hartford, Conn./Conard) placed third to earn All-NCAC honors. She touched the wall in 2:21.52, well under the NCAA B Cut threshold and just .07 behind the second-place finisher and .22 back of the winning mark. Also in that event, junior Claire Kozlowski (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) won the B final with a time of 2:28.81.
Gustafson capped the meet with a time of 1:04.99 in a time trial for the 100-yard breaststroke.
On the men's side of the event, sophomore James Dumstorf (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) placed 10th and sophomore A.J. Burt (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) took 12th.
In the women's 200-yard butterfly, senior Jane Tsivitse (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) won the B final in a time of 2:08.83, just .24 outside of the NCAA B Cut. It bettered Tsivitse's own school record in the event.
In the men's three-meter diving, freshman Kevin Duhl (Westerville, Ohio/North) placed eighth after posting a fifth-place mark in the 3-meter earlier in the competition. Sophomore Eric Roberts (Willits, Calif./Willits) finished 10th in the 3-meter and sixth in the 1-meter events.
For many of the team members, the meet marks the conclusion of the 2012-13 season. Others will compete at the Kenyon Invitational next weekend in hopes of earning NCAA qualifying times.