Friday, October 4
Greensboro, N.C.
5:30 p.m.
Davidson College Athletics
at
North Carolina College Kick-Off
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Davidson to Open the Season at N.C. College Kick Off Meet
10/3/2013 7:00:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
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The Davidson swimming & diving teams will open the 2013-14 season this weekend when they travel to Greensboro, N.C., to compete in the North Carolina College Kick Off meet, hosted by N.C. State Friday and Saturday. Led by 2012-13 CCSA Men's Coach of the Year John Young, the men's squad will look to defend their 2013 championship while the women's team looks to improve on a strong performance last season as both enter their final season in the CCSA.
Freestyle
Junior Anna Blair Bullock combines with the sophomore trio of Angie Healy, Lauren Malachowski and Jessica Miller to headline the freestyle events. Bullock has improved steadily each season and has finished in the top-10 of the 1650-yard freestyle at the CCSA Championships the past two seasons to lead the way in the distance events.
Healy posted some of the Wildcats' top times of the season in the mid-distance events, leading the way in the 200-yard free – an event in which she placed eighth at the CCSA meet. She also ranks in the top-10 all-time in the 500-yard free after her first season with the 'Cats. Miller joins her as one of the top middle distance swimmers, ranking fifth all-time in the 500-yard freestyle. She also makes her presence known in the 1,650 and claimed the 'Cats second-best time of the season last year.
Also a threat in the backstroke, Malachowski was one of the Wildcats' top sprinters in 2012-13, finishing second on the team in the 100-yard free and fourth in the 50-yard freestyle. She was also a stellar relay swimmer for the 'Cats, helping to claim fourth place in the 400 free relay at the CCSA meet.
Senior Megan McLeod will add depth in the mid-distance events, as will Marisa Martinson in the sprints. They will be joined by freshman Kate Carter, Erica Clancy and Kassie Shannon, who will all look to make an impact in their rookie campaigns.
On the men's side, Dylan Ludwick will lead the way in the distance events as he enters the season as the defending champion in both the 500- and 200-yard freestyle events. He is joined in the 500-yard free by Will Fox, who placed third at the CCSA meet in the event. Sophomore Max Schimanski has experience in both the 1650 and 1000 free, ranking third in the CCSA in the latter last season.
Sophomore Cameron Bard and junior Brandon Kegley are the top returners in the sprints, with Bard leading the way in the 50-yard free and Kegley in the 100-yard free. Quinn Waggoner adds depth to the sprint events, as does Ben Stewart-Bates, who ranked 10th in the CCSA in the 100-yard free. He is also slated to compete in the mid-distance races after ranking fifth in the league in the 200 free. Colin MacKay also returns for his sophomore season as one of the 'Cats top swimmers in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle events.
Backstroke
Malachowski and Healy highlight this group as well. Malachowski was team's fastest in the 100-yard event last season, posting the second-fastest time in program history while ranking fifth all-time in the 200-yard event. Healy followed suit, also putting together all-time top-10 performances in both events.
Francesca Devine will bolster the group, entering her junior season with experience in both events. Newcomer Shannon may also compete for a spot in the backstroke.
For the men, Ethan Levinson and Luke Burton return as the leaders in the 100- and 200-yard events, respectively. Levinson grabbed a fourth-place finish in the 200 at last year's CCSA meet, while Burton claimed fourth in the 100-yard event. The duo was joined in the finals of the 200 by Adam Hunter, giving the 'Cats a number of options in the backstroke. Freshman Davied Sanchez will also compete for a spot in this category, while classmate Andres Ramos will look to make his way into the lineup in the mid-distance events.
Butterfly
Program record holder Meredith Nakano returns for her junior season after breaking the school mark in the 200-yard butterfly at Kenyon last season with a time of 2:01.87. Nakano also swam the 'Cats' best times of the season in the 100-yard fly.
Rising senior Liz Mace is also slated to be a leader in the fly events, having posted the second-best times of the season in the 100 and the third-best in the 200. She finished up her solid junior season with a top-10 finish (seventh) in the 200-yard fly at the CCSA meet.
Sophomore Emma Tobey adds experience to the flyers, having swum the 100-yard event at the CCSA meet, while freshman Elise Lankiewicz will also add depth to the group.
On the opposite side, Fox returns after spending the 2012-13 season as the 'Cats top swimmer in both events. He claimed the 100-yard fly at the CCSA meet, and was joined in the finals by Thomas Bigham who posted a personal best at the meet. Bard and Drew Gill joined the two in the finals of the 100-yard fly at the championship meet with all four finishing in the top-10. Newcomer Chris Cardwell will be an addition to this group in 2013-14.
Breaststroke
Nakano will pace the team in the breaststroke events, finishing last season as the top swimmer in both the 100- and 200-yard events. She wrapped up the season by finishing in the top-15 of both events at the CCSA meet. Joining her will be senior Caroline Vrana, who was right behind Nakano in both events. Vrana also grabbed a top-15 finish in the 100-yard event at the CCSA Championships.
McLeod also boasts breaststroke events in addition to distance free on her resume, as does sophomore Kayla McAvoy, who was third on the team in both events. Freshman Katy Williams is expected to be a solid addition to the group this season as well.
Despite the loss of Drew Onken, the Wildcats still boast plenty of options in the breaststroke events. Spencer Gill and Grant Smith combined with Onken for the 1-2-3 sweep in the 200-yard breaststroke at last year's championships and will look to fill his shoes this season. Drew Gill is also a top swimmer in the event, while Bigham, Drew Glenn and Drew Gustavson have proven experience in the 200-yard race. Freshman Luke Boliek will fight his way into the lineup as well this season.
Individual Medley
A plethora of Wildcats had success in the IM last season, led by Covert who posted the team's top times in both the 200- and 400-yard events. Nakano had several great performances in the 200-yard event, while Bullock and McLeod were leaders in the 400-yard race.
Another event in which Onken leaves a void, Smith is ready to fill in after spending last season as the runner-up in both distances. Smith became just the second Wildcat in program history to break the four-minute mark in the 400-yard race at last year's CCSA meet, while Gustavson finished the season ranked third in the longer distance. Josh Schammel has experience in both, while freshman Spencer Davies will bolster the group as well.
Diving
Both Kaliya Burton-Akright and Karen Monuszko return after excellent 2012-13 campaigns. The duo traded off in re-writing the record books before competing at the NCAA Zone Meet to finish out the season. Burton-Akright ended up grabbing the record in the 3-meter with her performance vs. Clemson and took fourth at the CCSA meet in the event. Monuzko also finished in the top-10 in the event at the meet, grabbing sixth overall.
Ali DeMarco finished her first season with great experience in both the 1- and 3-meter events, while Summer Abiad will join the squad this season and look to make an impact.
Brian McRae finished the season on a high note, taking second in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events at the championship meet. Jonathan Oberti took sixth in both events and enters the season with a year of experience under his belt.
The Davidson swimming & diving teams will open the 2013-14 season this weekend when they travel to Greensboro, N.C., to compete in the North Carolina College Kick Off meet, hosted by N.C. State Friday and Saturday. Led by 2012-13 CCSA Men's Coach of the Year John Young, the men's squad will look to defend their 2013 championship while the women's team looks to improve on a strong performance last season as both enter their final season in the CCSA.
Freestyle
Junior Anna Blair Bullock combines with the sophomore trio of Angie Healy, Lauren Malachowski and Jessica Miller to headline the freestyle events. Bullock has improved steadily each season and has finished in the top-10 of the 1650-yard freestyle at the CCSA Championships the past two seasons to lead the way in the distance events.
Healy posted some of the Wildcats' top times of the season in the mid-distance events, leading the way in the 200-yard free – an event in which she placed eighth at the CCSA meet. She also ranks in the top-10 all-time in the 500-yard free after her first season with the 'Cats. Miller joins her as one of the top middle distance swimmers, ranking fifth all-time in the 500-yard freestyle. She also makes her presence known in the 1,650 and claimed the 'Cats second-best time of the season last year.
Also a threat in the backstroke, Malachowski was one of the Wildcats' top sprinters in 2012-13, finishing second on the team in the 100-yard free and fourth in the 50-yard freestyle. She was also a stellar relay swimmer for the 'Cats, helping to claim fourth place in the 400 free relay at the CCSA meet.
Senior Megan McLeod will add depth in the mid-distance events, as will Marisa Martinson in the sprints. They will be joined by freshman Kate Carter, Erica Clancy and Kassie Shannon, who will all look to make an impact in their rookie campaigns.
On the men's side, Dylan Ludwick will lead the way in the distance events as he enters the season as the defending champion in both the 500- and 200-yard freestyle events. He is joined in the 500-yard free by Will Fox, who placed third at the CCSA meet in the event. Sophomore Max Schimanski has experience in both the 1650 and 1000 free, ranking third in the CCSA in the latter last season.
Sophomore Cameron Bard and junior Brandon Kegley are the top returners in the sprints, with Bard leading the way in the 50-yard free and Kegley in the 100-yard free. Quinn Waggoner adds depth to the sprint events, as does Ben Stewart-Bates, who ranked 10th in the CCSA in the 100-yard free. He is also slated to compete in the mid-distance races after ranking fifth in the league in the 200 free. Colin MacKay also returns for his sophomore season as one of the 'Cats top swimmers in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle events.
Backstroke
Malachowski and Healy highlight this group as well. Malachowski was team's fastest in the 100-yard event last season, posting the second-fastest time in program history while ranking fifth all-time in the 200-yard event. Healy followed suit, also putting together all-time top-10 performances in both events.
Francesca Devine will bolster the group, entering her junior season with experience in both events. Newcomer Shannon may also compete for a spot in the backstroke.
For the men, Ethan Levinson and Luke Burton return as the leaders in the 100- and 200-yard events, respectively. Levinson grabbed a fourth-place finish in the 200 at last year's CCSA meet, while Burton claimed fourth in the 100-yard event. The duo was joined in the finals of the 200 by Adam Hunter, giving the 'Cats a number of options in the backstroke. Freshman Davied Sanchez will also compete for a spot in this category, while classmate Andres Ramos will look to make his way into the lineup in the mid-distance events.
Butterfly
Program record holder Meredith Nakano returns for her junior season after breaking the school mark in the 200-yard butterfly at Kenyon last season with a time of 2:01.87. Nakano also swam the 'Cats' best times of the season in the 100-yard fly.
Rising senior Liz Mace is also slated to be a leader in the fly events, having posted the second-best times of the season in the 100 and the third-best in the 200. She finished up her solid junior season with a top-10 finish (seventh) in the 200-yard fly at the CCSA meet.
Sophomore Emma Tobey adds experience to the flyers, having swum the 100-yard event at the CCSA meet, while freshman Elise Lankiewicz will also add depth to the group.
On the opposite side, Fox returns after spending the 2012-13 season as the 'Cats top swimmer in both events. He claimed the 100-yard fly at the CCSA meet, and was joined in the finals by Thomas Bigham who posted a personal best at the meet. Bard and Drew Gill joined the two in the finals of the 100-yard fly at the championship meet with all four finishing in the top-10. Newcomer Chris Cardwell will be an addition to this group in 2013-14.
Breaststroke
Nakano will pace the team in the breaststroke events, finishing last season as the top swimmer in both the 100- and 200-yard events. She wrapped up the season by finishing in the top-15 of both events at the CCSA meet. Joining her will be senior Caroline Vrana, who was right behind Nakano in both events. Vrana also grabbed a top-15 finish in the 100-yard event at the CCSA Championships.
McLeod also boasts breaststroke events in addition to distance free on her resume, as does sophomore Kayla McAvoy, who was third on the team in both events. Freshman Katy Williams is expected to be a solid addition to the group this season as well.
Despite the loss of Drew Onken, the Wildcats still boast plenty of options in the breaststroke events. Spencer Gill and Grant Smith combined with Onken for the 1-2-3 sweep in the 200-yard breaststroke at last year's championships and will look to fill his shoes this season. Drew Gill is also a top swimmer in the event, while Bigham, Drew Glenn and Drew Gustavson have proven experience in the 200-yard race. Freshman Luke Boliek will fight his way into the lineup as well this season.
Individual Medley
A plethora of Wildcats had success in the IM last season, led by Covert who posted the team's top times in both the 200- and 400-yard events. Nakano had several great performances in the 200-yard event, while Bullock and McLeod were leaders in the 400-yard race.
Another event in which Onken leaves a void, Smith is ready to fill in after spending last season as the runner-up in both distances. Smith became just the second Wildcat in program history to break the four-minute mark in the 400-yard race at last year's CCSA meet, while Gustavson finished the season ranked third in the longer distance. Josh Schammel has experience in both, while freshman Spencer Davies will bolster the group as well.
Diving
Both Kaliya Burton-Akright and Karen Monuszko return after excellent 2012-13 campaigns. The duo traded off in re-writing the record books before competing at the NCAA Zone Meet to finish out the season. Burton-Akright ended up grabbing the record in the 3-meter with her performance vs. Clemson and took fourth at the CCSA meet in the event. Monuzko also finished in the top-10 in the event at the meet, grabbing sixth overall.
Ali DeMarco finished her first season with great experience in both the 1- and 3-meter events, while Summer Abiad will join the squad this season and look to make an impact.
Brian McRae finished the season on a high note, taking second in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events at the championship meet. Jonathan Oberti took sixth in both events and enters the season with a year of experience under his belt.
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