Tigers Put The Wraps On The 2004-05 Regular Season

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams put the wraps on the 2004-05 regular season last weekend, but not before several individuals built momentum for the postseason and beyond.

Three Tiger women have met the provisional qualify times for inclusion in the NCAA Division III Championship meet March 10-12 at Hope College in Holland, Mich. No Tiger men reached the qualifying standards, although freshman Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) did turn in several times that were very close, hopefully setting the stage for continued improvement in 2005-06.

For the women, juniors Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ohio/Shelby County) and Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) and sophomore Jenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) all posted NCAA B Cut times, with Searcy the only one already guaranteed of an invite to the national meet thanks to three different qualifying times.

Searcy, who will be making her third straight appearance in the NCAA meet, currently ranks 19th in the 500-yard freestyle with a top time of 5:08.30, eighth in the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 17:25.91 and 11th in the 400-yard Individual Medley with a time of 4:36.46. Last year, she competed in all three events at the national meet and claimed two honorable mention All-America honors.

Yeakley is ranked 18th in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 59.54, which set a school record at last week's Case Western Reserve University Veale Invitational. Also in the 100 back, Mulligan checks in with a time of 59.83, which ranks her 24th nationally.

Rounding things out, freshman Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) recorded a time of 25.01 in the 50 free at Case Western. That time was not only a personal-best for Smith, but it broke a school record as well. She was within a half-second of reaching the provisional qualifying standard in the event.

The final invite list for the women's championship meet will be posted by next week. The men's event will be solidified the week after that. Wittenberg will not have a competitor in the men's meet for the first time in more than a decade.

Next: 3/10-12 @ NCAA Championships Holland, Mich. (Men)
3/17-19 @ NCAA Championships Holland, Mich. (Women)