Amherst's Stern Earns Second NCAA Title During Final Day of Swimming & Diving Championships
Courtesy Macalester Sports Information
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Kendra Stern from Amherst repeated as champion in the 100-yard Freestyle during the final day of the 2009 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.
Stern's time of 49.37 broke the NCAA record for the 100-yard Freestyle event. Middlebury sophomore Emily McDonald placed seventh in the event with a time of 51.12.
In other events, Amherst freshman Ryan Lichtenfels came in second in the 1,650-yard Freestyle, as his time of 15:23.15 was just over three seconds behind the winning time. Williams senior Amanda Nicholson finished second in the women's 200-yard Backstroke (2:00.61). Amherst freshman Tim While placed eighth in the men's 200-yard Backstroke with a time of 1:51.37. Lord Jeff senior Kai Robinson was third in the 3-meter Diving events with a score of 516.10.
In the final relay events, Amherst was third in the women's 400-yard Freestyle Relay with a time 3:25.17 while Williams was fifth at 3:27.69. On the men's side of the 400 free relay, the Lord Jeffs came in sixth (3:01.22).
Kenyon won two more events Saturday, bringing its total for the meet to eight, to wrap up its 30th straight national championship on the fourth and final day at the NCAA Division III men’s and women’s swimming & diving championships at the the University of Minnesota’s Dorothy L. Sheppard Pool in the University Aquatic Center in Minneapolis. The 30 straight national titles won by the Lords is by far the longest streak by any NCAA team in any sport in any division.
Kenyon’s women were equally impressive during this competition hosted by Macalester College, as the Ladies pick up their 23rd championship trophy and third in a row. Five different swimmers claimed individual championships as Kenyon dominated despite not winning any relays.
The runner-up and third-place finishers were identical in both the men’s and women’s final standings. The Kenyon women finished with 560 points, followed by Emory with 466 ½ and Denison with 413. On the men’s side, the Lords compiled 604 points, followed by Emory with 402 and Denison with 308.50. The fourth-place finishers were the Williams women and St. Olaf men.
Williams was the top NESCAC finisher among women's teams, posting a score of 334.5. Amherst was fifth with 201.5, Middlebury in 26th with 28, Bates in 29th with 22, Tufts tied for 30th with 21, Connecticut College tied for 39th with 14, Colby tied for 42nd with 11, and Hamilton tied for 56th with one point.
Among NESCAC men's teams, Amherst led conference squads with a fifth place showing with 196 points, Connecticut College in 16th with 59 points, Williams tied for 21st with 44, Tufts in 35th with 18, Middlebury tied for 46th with six points, and Wesleyan tied for 53rd with 4 points.
