Williams Seeks Sixth-Straight NESCAC Title

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HADLEY, Mass. - Williams College, winner of the last five NESCAC Men’s Swimming and Diving titles, will look for an unprecedented sixth NESCAC crown this weekend when the Ephs take part in the 2008 NESCAC Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships. The three-day event begins on Friday, Feb. 29 with preliminary heats in the morning and championship races in the evening at the Middlebury College Natatorium in Middlebury, Vt. The 2008 NESCAC Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships conclude on Sunday, March 2.

Williams broke the 2,000-point barrier at the NESCAC Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships last winter for the second year in a row, winning the championship by 711.5 points over runner-up Amherst - the largest margin of victory in meet history. A big part of the Ephs’ success last year was their showing in the relay events, setting a new record in the 800-yard Freestyle Relay and claiming all five championship relays for the third consecutive year. A host of teams including Amherst, Connecticut College, Middlebury and Tufts will challenge Williams dominance in the relays.

Williams also won five of the six freestyle events during last year’s championship, and the Ephs may be hard-pressed to repeat the performance this weekend. Connecticut College sophomore Grant Moryan (Westfield, N.J.) took last year’s 50-yard Freestyle, the lone freestyle race the Ephs didn’t claim, and will be tested by Williams rookie Ben Wampler (Glencoe, Ill.), who currently holds the fastest time this season in the 50. Moryan will also look to come away with the 100-yard and 200-yard Freestyle titles, after finishing second in the 100 and sixth in the 200 during his first championship last year at Bowdoin. In the hunt for the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle crowns are juniors Christian Witzke (Jacksonville, Fla.) of Amherst and Kevin O’Rourke (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) of Middlebury. Witzke was third in last year’s 200, while O’Rourke finished fifth. In the 500, watch for the Ephs’ tandem of rookie Gary Roberson (Tigard, Ore.) and senior Chris Millen (Richboro, Pa.) to have strong showings, as they currently hold the top two times in the NESCAC, respectively. The long distance freestyle events may be up for grabs and feature a multitude of first time competitors, including Ryan Colby (Birdsboro, Pa.) of Amherst, Ryan Marklewitz (Charlotte, N.C.) of Middlebury, and Roberson.

In the backstroke, Hamilton senior Todd Johnson (Kingston, Jamaica) will look to repeat his championship performance in the 100 and possibly add titles in the 50 and 200 to his collection after finishing second in the 50 and fifth in the 200 a year ago. Johnson enters the weekend with the best times in the conference in both the 50-yard and 100-yard Backstroke, and the third-best time in the 200. Competing against Johnson for the backstroke crowns will be Middlebury junior Zach Woods (Monroe, N.Y.) and Williams freshman Worth MacDonald (Atlanta, Ga.). Woods placed third in the 100 and second in the 200 during last year’s NESCAC meet.

Williams junior Tyler Bonewell (Burnsville, Minn.) had a strong showing in the breaststroke in 2007, winning the 100-yard and 200-yard events and tying for second in the 50. Challenging Bonewell’s title defense in the 100 and 200 will be senior teammate Henry Felker (St. Louis, Mo.), Middlebury senior Peter Bell (Deerfield, Mass.), and Tufts junior James Longhurst (Swampscott, Mass.) among others. Sophomore Lawrence Chan (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.) of Tufts returns after winning the 50-yard Breaststroke by a mere six-tenths of a second in his first championship appearance last February.

Middlebury sophomore John Dillon (Wellesley, Mass.) looks to improve upon his results in last year’s butterfly events, as he placed third in the 50-yard Butterfly and second in the 100-yard and 200-yard Butterfly races to former teammate Rob Collier. Williams junior Norman Scott (Elmsford, N.Y.), who won the 50-yard Butterfly last winter, currently holds the top times in all three fly races. Other contenders include Williams senior Alex Wentworth-Ping (Bermuda) and Connecticut College sophomore Pat Troy (Bradford, N.H.), as both individuals were among the finalists during the 2007 championship butterfly races.

In diving, the Amherst duo of Kai Robinson (Vashon, Wash.) and Connor Boyd (Northridge, Calif.) hope to have solid performances in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events. Boyd was the runner-up in the 1-meter last year and finished third in the 3-meter. Robinson has had a remarkable season with the Jeffs and holds the top score in the conference to date for both dives. Other individuals to watch for are Tufts sophomore Robert Matera (Trumbull, Conn.), as he was second in the 3-meter during the 2007 championship.

Competition will get underway each day with preliminary heats at 10:00 a.m. Finals will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, 5:50 p.m. Saturday, and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $5 per session or $25 for a weekend pass for adults and $2 per session or $10 for a weekend pass for children and students. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. for heats and 75 minutes prior to finals. A complete championship schedule along with real-time results will be available at www.nescac.com. 

2008 NESCAC MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Friday, February 29 - Sunday, March 2
at Middlebury College Natatorium

Order of Events (Tentative)