Bulldogs Split At Limestone; Men Nearly Knock Off Saints While GWU Women Dominate
October 12, 2007 | Swimming
GAFFNEY, S.C. – After a brief delay prior to the start of the meet, the 2007-08 season kicked off for the Gardner-Webb women's swim team with a victory in the 300 fly relay at the Limestone meet at 6:23 p.m.
However, the story of the night was the historic debut by the men's program. Just after 6:28 p.m., the Bulldogs attempted to win the 300m fly relay – in the squad's first-ever competition. With two teams competing in the heat for both schools, GWU was sitting first and third after the first leg. One of the squads was tied for the lead going into the last leg, but the young GWU team was unable to keep up the dominant performance, finishing second and third in the relay. GWU's Steven Caudill, Denaj Seymour and Travis Gibson managed a second-place finish in the event after finishing in 2:42.16.
Head coach Mike Simpson's first win on the men's side didn't have to wait too much longer, as GWU fought from behind in the 300m back relay to notch the victory. Trailing by over a full body length after the first leg of the relay, the second man in the rotation, Kyle Hooley, thundered back to pull even with the Saints' swimmer as the two touched the wall for the final time.
As the final swimmer for GWU took his position after diving into the water, the Bulldogs' Adam Middleton had taken a slim lead. With the roar of nearly 100 Bulldog faithful that made the short trek to Gaffney, Simpson's team gradually pulled away, touching the wall in 2:47.15, for the program's historic first win.
The Bulldogs' powered home a victory in the 1,500m free in a school-record setting time of 15:14.28. On the winning relay team were Michael Roka, Abram Miller and Adam Suggs.
The final victory of the night on the men's side came in the form of the 400m IM. Steven Caudill, Patrick Elerding, Craig South and Middleton combined to out-duel the Saints in a tightly contested match-up. The squad finished in a winning time of 3:43.44.
The trio of Patrick Elerding, Patrick Williams and South took second in the 300 breast in a time of 3:11.63.
Adam Suggs, George Partin, Eric Kegley and Miller were second in the 800 free (7:27.39) while Hooley, Elerding, Caudell and Partin were runners-up in the 400 medley (3:37.69).
Hooley, Partin, Seymour and Williams garnered a second-place finish in the 200 free after finishing in 1:42.00. In the 400 free, Seymour, Partin, Caudill and Hooley managed a second-place showing after finishing in 3:18.69.
On the women's side, the GWU 300m fly team took the title in 3:02.99. Leslie Hallquist, Rachel Warkentin and Whitney Hooley notched the victory for the Red and Black.
Isabel Olivas, Stephani Stadnik and Sarah Stokes won the 300m breast after completing the race in 3:33.87. Erin Pledger, Kelly Gueltig, Hallquist and Elizabeth Ketterer garnered a first-place finish in the 800m free after touching the wall in 8:13.22.
Mallory Baxter, Rachel Glenn, Grace Whiteside and Heather Roka managed to win the crescendo freestyle in a mere 4:52.61.
The Bulldogs continued their dominating performance in the 400m medley as Hooley, Stokes, Sarah Steadman won the title in a time of 4:10.63. Carrie Kibler, Ketterer, Kelly Gueltig and Olivas swam past the competition in the 200m free relay, finishing in first with a time of 1:43.16.
The trio of Hallquist, Whiteside and Kelly Learned posted a victory in the 1,500m free relay with a time of 16:39.45. Steadman, Olivas, Roka and Baxter won the 400m IM with a combined time of 4:17.92 while Ketterer, Ginny Yergler, Stadnik and Whiteside came in first in the 400m free relay with a time of 3:45.97.
The 300m backstroke team of Corey Hughey, Steadman and Victoria Bryant came in second (3:02.60). Bryant, Warkentin, Blessing and Stokes were runners-up in the 400m IM (4:23.10). In the 400m free, Kibler, Erin Pledger and Hughey notched a second-place finish with a time of 3:51.73.
The women dominated the Saints, taking the win by a 220-136 score. The men's team, tied heading into the final event, dropped a heartbreaker by six points – 190-184.
Both teams will be back in action next weekend as they continue
their road trip. GWU heads to Radford, Va., to compete against the
host Highlanders, along with VMI and James Madison.
