Miami Invite: Day Three

OXFORD, Ohio, December 6. IT didn't match their record-breaking performance of 2008, but the women's swimming and diving team's effort was outstanding in its own way Saturday night, claiming the 16th Annual Miami Invitational title by 883 points over its closest finisher.

Coach Dave Jennings's RedHawks piled up 2,321 points while runner-up Florida Gulf Coast finished with 1,438. Emory placed third (1,355), Oakland was fourth (1,008), Illinois finished fifth (1,004), Denison was sixth (919), Cincinnati placed seventh (735), Wright State was eighth (608), UW-Milwaukee finished ninth, and Tsinghua University from China who competed with a single diver placed 10th (72).

The RedHawk women started Saturday evening with an outstanding performance in the 200-yard medley relay, touching the wall in an NCAA B cut time of 1:42.63. Freshman Leah Thornton led things off, followed by junior teammates Kelsey Vehr and Nicole Roddenbery, and anchored by freshman Katie Arlinghaus. It was the third-best 200 medley relay time in school history. Miami's B team placed fifth (1:45.82).

Thornton registered a winning time of 2:00.65 in the 200 backstroke, the fourth-best clocking in that event in Miami history. Teammate Kasey Carpenter placed fifth in a time of 2:03.12.

The 500 freestyle saw redshirt freshman Claire Dickmann place eighth in the A Final, but pick up 24 points for her team and keep Miami comfortably in the lead over Florida Gulf Coast and Emory.

Miami's Allison Way won the 100 butterfly final in a time of 55.02 as she and teammates Maegan O'Connor (55.56), Bekka Westrick (55.63), Thornton (55.86) and Nicole Roddenbery (56.17) claimed the first five spots. It was a season-best time for Way, O'Connor, Westrick and Thornton. RedHawk teammate Brittney Rohr placed seventh (56.58).

Vehr, Miami's breaststroker extraordinaire, set a pool and meet record in the 200-yard event, swimming the distance in a Div. 1 B qualifying time of 2:14.72. It was the third-best time in Miami history. Megan Brunn, who finished third in a time of 2:18.15, knocked more than a second off her previous season-best clocking. Stacie Clagg in eighth place (2:22.54) and Claire Fogarty in ninth (2:23.46) also had season-best performances.

Freshman Danica Roskos placed third in the women's one-meter diving event, while teammates Kelsey Anagnos, Cory Bangs and Rachel Smith were fifth, eighth and tenth, respectively.

Way and Arlinghaus placed sixth and seventh in the 100 freestyle.

In the 200 individual medley, Miami's Brunn, Arlinghaus and Vehr placed third, sixth and eighth in the "A" final.

Miami won the final women's event, the 400 freestyle relay, in a time of 3:26.05. That ranks as the third-best time in RedHawk swimming history. The team of Westrick, Way, Arlinghaus and Radke edged out runner-up Oakland by just 12 one-hundredths of a second.

A strong effort by the 200 medley relay team and a first-through-third sweep by the divers highlighted the final night of the 16th annual Miami Swimming Invitational for Coach Pete Lindsay's men at the Nixon Aquatic Center on the Miami University campus.

Oakland University claimed the men's team title with 1,756 points, defeating runner-up Emory University (1,494) by 262 points. Denison University placed third (1,454.5), Wright State University was fourth (1,330), the University of Cincinnati finished in fifth place (1,244), Miami was sixth (1,221.5), Wisconsin-Milwaukee was seventh with 102 points and Wright State was eighth (71).

The RedHawk divers placed one-two-three in the three-meter competition. Sophomores Cameron Horner (369.25) and Jimmy Beres (368.35) took first and second place, and freshman Michael Grainger was third (340.65). The trio's 95 total points gave Miami's team effort a big boost.

Miami's 200-yard medley relay team finished third in a time of 1:34.97, making it a NCAA Div. 1 B standard qualifier. It's the first time this year that a RedHawk men's relay team or individual has achieved that mark. Sophomore Chris Gunnels, seniors Mike Carroll and Rob Jackson, and junior John Eick participated in the RedHawk effort.

Freshman Alex Reinhardt was Miami's top finisher in the 500 freestyle, establishing a season-best time of 4:38.90. Brendan Melling touched the wall is 4:41.26, also a season best.

The 100 butterfly final saw Cincinnati's Josh Schneider sprint to a pool- and meet-record time of 47.07, two-and-one-half seconds faster than any of his competition. Miami's top finishers were Jackson who placed sixth (51.20) and Jason Hass who came in eighth (51.51).

The men's 200 breaststroke pool and meet records were broken by Cincinnati's Jeremy Peter who swam nearly five seconds better than any of his competitors at 1:58.98. Miami's top finisher was Carroll who won the "B" final in a time of 2:08.48. Austin Kosier placed third in the "B" race at 2:10.87. Both Carroll and Kosier's times were their best of 2009.

In the 200-yard IM, Hass swam a season-best 1:56.91 and finished third in the "B" final.

The final event of the evening was the 400-yard freestyle relay and the RedHawks placed eighth in a time of 3:11.55.

The next action for Miami is January 15 when it hosts the University of Cincinnati.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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