Photo by Jim Hogue| Photo by Jim Hogue |
Nova Southeastern won both the men’s and women’s title in Saturday’s final day of competition at the 2012 Sunshine State Conference Swimming Championship at the Long Center in Clearwater.
On the women’s side, the Sharks staved off Tampa by 11 points to win their first SSC championship with 932 points. Tampa finished second with 921 points. Florida Southern was third with 683 points. Rollins (377), Saint Leo (307), and Florida Tech (126) rounded out the women’s standings.
In men’s action, NSU posted an 81-point victory over runner-up Florida Southern to claim its second straight SSC crown. The Sharks finished with 908 points, while the Moccasins accumulated 827. Tampa placed third with 758 points. Saint Leo (445), Rollins (283), and Florida Tech (203) filled out the remaining spots.
Tampa’s Heather Glenday tallied 57 individual points to win the Female Swimmer of the Meet award. Nova Southeastern’s Armin Hornikel won the male award, having also collected 57 points throughout the event.
The 2012 SSC Championship proved to be a fast affair, with new meet records established in 26 of 38 events. A total of 29 NCAA Division II automatic qualifying times were amassed by participating individuals and relay teams.
In Saturday’s final events, Glenday set a new meet record in the 1,650 freestyle with a DII automatic qualifying time of 16:52.97. NSU’s Erin Black also turned in an automatic qualifying mark of 16:56.53. NSU’s Addison Cates won the men’s mile with a mark of 15:38.34.
In the 200 backstroke, three swimmers clocked NCAA automatic qualifying times in the men’s final. Florida Southern’s Jeb Halfacre led the trio with a meet-record time of 1:44.77. His FSC teammate Luis Rojas also clocked an AQ time of 1:46.19, as did Tampa’s Berk Kahramen, who touched the wall in 1:48.07.
Southern’s Stephanie Doran won the women’s 200 backstroke with a time of 2:00.98.
FSC’s Lisa Menne claimed victory in the women’s 100 freestyle with a time of 51.19. Saint Leo’s Tim Olson earned the men’s gold medal in the same race with a meet-record mark of 44.92.
The women’s 200 breaststroke went to Tampa’s Lisa Bero, who finished in 2:17.75. Hornikel raced to the men’s victory in that event with a meet-record, automatic qualifying time of 1:58.08.
NSU’s Lauren Chapple rewrote the record in the women’s 200 butterfly, clocking a mark of 2:03.10. Bruce Janzen was the men’s event winner in 1:49.12.
The championship closed with the 400 freestyle relays. Tampa’s Erin Plachy, Kylie Piche, Kristine Kassl, and Glenday raced to the women’s victory with a mark of 3:26.73. A pair of DII automatic qualifying times were posted in the men’s race. FSC’s Halfacre, Rojas, Robbie Swan, and Stephen Swan set a new meet record of 2:58.27. NSU’s Hornikel, Esau Simpson, William Bunge, and Ash Dougan tallied a mark of 3:00.91.
2012 Swimmers of the Meet Heather Glenday and Armin Hornikel (photo by Jim Hogue)