NCAA Div. III Women: Denison Upsets Kenyon For Title; Denies Kenyon’s Bid for 18th Straight Crown

By Bill Bell

BUFFALO, NY. March 10. DENISON College upset 17-time defending champion Kenyon College by a razor-thin margin of 16 points, 588-572, to tke the women's NCAA Division III team title today. Kenyon was bidding to win its 18th consecutive team crwon.

The stage was set early last November when Denison's women's Big Red squad hosted 17-time defending national champ Kenyon in a season-opening dual meet.
The result? A stunning 127-104 victory for Coach Gregg Parini's Denison squad, Big Red's initial win over the perennial NCAA DIII champs in 14 tries.

However, a month ago at Keating Natatorium in Canton, OH., it was "back to normalcy" as Kenyon swept to yet another North Coast Athletic Conference crown, with Parini's Big Red women No. 2.

But when it counted most this weekend here in SUNY Buffalo's Flickinger Aquatic Center at the 21st NCAA DIII Swimming and Diving Championships, Denison was NOT to be denied, racing to a close 588-572 victory over Kenyon for its first national collegiate title in any sport.

Runners-up the last three seasons, Denison won 10 of 20 events during the three-day meet and ensured Kenyon's record-breaking 17-year reign as queens of the Division III swimming world would finally come to an end.

Parini, himself a Kenyon graduate who swam on three men's championship teams from 1980-'82, was named Coach of the Meet and Big Red's Mollie Parrish was named swimmer of the meet. Parrish set a DIII record of 55.49 en route to a win in the 100 fly on Day 2, took third in the 50 free, and also swam on four of Denison's relays — three of which were victorious (200-400 medley-200 free). The 400 sprint relay that closed the meet was the only relay Denison lost, finishing second to Kenyon (3:26.61-3:28.28).

Williams diver Rachey Gealy was named Diver of the Meet.

Third in the team race was Williams with 356 points, followed by Emory (258) and John Hopkins (199). Completing the Top 10 were Wheaton (197), Wisconsin-Stevens Point (146), Puget Sound (118) and Wooster (107).

Denison led after every session, topping the charts on Day 1 (189-156 over Kenyon) and leading after Day 2 as well (416-349).

Big Red opened the final evening's competition with a 1650 free win by soph Tamara Carty, who raced home in a pr 16:47.15 — not far off the meet record of 16:40.16 by Middlebury's Heidi George from the 1996 Championship.

The win was Carty's second title. She previously won the 500 in a pr 4:57.79 opening night. As a freshman last season Carty was fifth in the 500 (5:02.7) and fourth in the mile (17:08.20) so under Parini's guidance she's made remarkable strides this year.

Kenyon scored big in this event, taking third, fourth and eighth, plus winning the consols final so the gap was beginning to narrow.

Kenyon senior Erica Carroll, who as a sophomore set the meet record in the 200 back (2:01.78) but slumped to fifth last season, got back on track this evening, splashing to an impressive 2:02.16-2:04.97 win over Wheaton soph Emily Mason. The Lords also scored a third and sixth, but Denison rookie Clare Williams was consols final champ.

In the 100 free, Denison soph Erin Stanley, 200 free winner the previous night, split a quick 24.85 en route to a 51.20 pr and her second individual gold. Carleton frosh Marie Marsman (51.78) was second and Kenyon's 50 free champ, freshman Elizabeth Galloway, was third (51.91). Denison also got big points here from Kate Flikkema's fifth (51.95) and Parrish's eighth (52.43).

Hope senior Betsy Vandenberg, No. 2 in the 100 breast, moved up a notch in the 200 with her 2:19.19-2:21.98 victory over Denison's Alyssa Heidinger. The latter was 100 breast champ (1:04.58-1:04.90). Coast Guard's Darby Schlacht, sixth in the century, was third.

Amherst got on the scoreboard via a 200 butterfly win from soph Morgan Bayer (2:04.94) while Grove City freshman Maragret Whitbeck (2:05.63) was next and U Cal Santa Cruz's Andrea Maglasang (2:06.09) third.

On the 3-meter board, Springfield soph Alison Mellage scored 462.50 points for the gold. Teammate Lindsay Moore (445.65) was second and Williams' Caroline Crocker (429.60) third. Williams frosh Gealy, named diver of the meet, was seventh.

Kenyon concluded the splashing by winning the 400 sprint relay (3:26.61). Denison was second (3:28.28) and Wheaton (3:31.07) third. The Lords' Galloway had the fastest 100 free leadoff (52.21) while Big Red's Parrish led off for Denison in a pr 52.52.

Parini's men's team will try and emulate the women's success when it tries to halt Kenyon's streak of 21-consecutive championships this coming weekend at Emory Univeristy in Atlanta.

The Queen is dead – but don't expect her to remain in that state for very long! Kenyon will be back, perhaps as early as next weekend.

2001 NCAA DIVISION III
WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
HOSTED BY THE SUNYAC AT BUFFALO, NY
MARCH 8-10, 2001

FINAL TEAM SCORES

1) DENISON 588
2) KENYON 572
3) WILLIAMS 356
4) EMORY 258
5) JOHNS HOPKINS 199
6) WHEATON 197
7) CASE WESTERN 166
8) UW STEVENS POINT 146
9) PUGET SOUND 118
10) COLL OF WOOSTER 107
11) AMHERST 87
12) MIDDLEBURY 84
12) CARLETON 84
14) HOPE 78
15) WASHINGTON UNIV. 76
16) UC SANTA CRUZ 68
17) UW OSHKOSH 60
18) SPRINGFIELD 50
19) CALVIN 42
20) NORTH CENTRAL 38
21) WITTENBERG 36
22) LAKE FOREST 35
23) GROVE CITY 32
24) ITHACA 29
24) US COAST GUARD 29
26) WASHINGTON COLL 28
26) C-M-S 28
28) DEPAUW 26
29) COLLEGE OF NJ 21
29) BOWDOIN 21
31) NAZARETH 20
32) TRINITY (TX) 19
32) UW LACROSSE 19
32) ALLEGHENY 19
35) WILLIAM SMITH 17
36) UW EAU CLAIRE 15
36) MARY WASHINGTON 15
36) ILL WESLEYAN 15
39) GETTYSBURG 14
40) JOHN CARROLL 10
41) TUFTS 9
42) R.P.I. 7
42) POMONA-PITZER 7
44) HARTWICK 6
44) CONCORDIA 6
44) JUNIATA 6
47) GUSTAVUS 5
48) BRANDEIS 3
49) ST. OLAF 2
50) SUNY GEN!ESEO 1
50) GRINNELL 1

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