CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR MARCH 9, 2006 (PART TWO)
NCAA III WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS REPORT FOR DAY ONE
MINNEAPOLIS, MN * A national championship performance and a national runner-up berth have propelled the Calvin women’s swimming and diving team into third place in the team standings after day of the NCAA III Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Minnesota.
After one day of competition, the Knights are in fourth place with 87 points, 14 points ahead of fifth place Washington University (MO), one point behind third place Williams (MA) and 47 points behind second place Emory University. Kenyon College leads the competition with a total of 151 points.
Junior Becky Weima of Grand Rapids Christian High School and freshman Erica Deur of Holland Christian High School were the catalysts behind Calvin’s sensational first day effort as Weima captured the second individual national title of her collegiate career, winning the 50 freestyle in a school record time of 23.30 while Deur took second on the one-meter board with a total of 439.25 points. In doing so, Deur became the first Calvin diving All-American since Sari Brummel achieved the feat in 1987.
The national title by Weima comes on the heels of her national championship performance in the 200 freestyle a year ago. It marked the seventh individual All-America berth of her career and her first ever in the 50 freestyle. Weima is the second individual in Calvin women’s swimming and diving history to achieve All-America accolades in the 50 freestyle as Liesl Vande Creek-Pruis also achieved the feat in 1985, finishing seventh.
In prior years, Weima had specialized in the 500 freestyle in the first night of competition but made the move to the shorter event this year. “Becky was again qualified in both the 50 and 500 freestyle this year but we decided to switch to the 50 to keep her from wearing out,” said Calvin women’s swimming and diving coach Dan Gelderloos. “The 50 freestyle can be a real tricky event. A bad start or a bad turn can cost you the race but Becky was flawless tonight. I am thrilled for her and so are her teammates. The most impressive thing about Becky is how excited she is for where our team sits in the overall standings.”
Gelderloos also had words of praise for Deur’s remarkable diving performance. “For a freshman to come into a pressure-packed meet like this and take second in the nation is absolutely unbelievable,” said Gelderloos. “Erica has gotten better and better as the season has gone along and the way she handled the pressure of a big meet tonight was absolutely remarkable.
Calvin posted four All-America efforts on Thursday as its 200 freestyle and 400 medley relay teams both claimed All-America berths. Calvin’s 200 freestyle relay team of Weima, junior Liz Ingebrigtsen (Bensenville, IL), freshman Cara VanWoerkom (Calvin Christian HS) and sophomore Kat Vinson (Kanehoe, HI) took fifth (1:36.61) while its 400 medley relay team of freshman Jordan Scott (), junior Alex Wilson (Ellsworth, OH), senior Abby Johnson (Grand Haven HS) and Weima took eighth with a time of 3:57.19.
“Overall we are very excited with our first day of competition,” said Gelderloos. “It would have been nice to slide up a spot or two in our relays tonight but by the same token, both relays were All-American relay and scored significant points. It takes a group effort to finish high at a national meet and we’re receiving contributions from a variety of individuals thus far which is very exciting.”
Action continues on Friday with morning prelims set to start at noon (EST). Weima is scheduled to compete in the 200 freestyle where she is the top seed while Deur will compete on the three-meter board. Calvin will also compete in the 200 medley and 800 freestyle relays. Wilson is scheduled to compete in the 100 breaststroke.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Thu Mar 9 22:37:47 2006
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