Denmark Finishes Fifth in the 200 I.M. to Lead GWU Men's Swimming on Day One of the All-N.C. Invitational
October 06, 2012 | Swimming
Greensboro, N.C. - Runnin' Bulldog junior Jordan Denmark took 5th place in the men's 200 I.M., and freshman Nathan Lile finished seventh in the 500 free to lead Gardner-Webb to a sixth place standing after day one of the first-ever All-N.C. Invitational.
Host N.C. State leads the men's standings with 464 points, followed by Duke (416.5) and East Carolina (344.5). CCSA rival Davidson is currently 4th with 296.5, followed by 5th place Wingate (289) just ahead of Gardner-Webb (253) with two more sessions remaining.
In its inaugural year, the All-N.C. Invitational features 14 collegiate programs from across the state of North Carolina (including Division I, Division II, and Division III programs) competing under the same roof.
The Runnin' Bulldog men opened the night with an 7th place showing (1:26.20) in the 200 free relay. DJ Hughes, Nathan Lile, Phil Leonard, and Joe MacGregor teamed up for the top eight finish, with Lile's split (20.98) the fastest of the night for Gardner-Webb.
GWU also turned in a 12th place finish from Brandon Searle, Matt Anderson, Mitch Turner, and Colin James, combining for a time of 1:28.57.
Lile, a freshman from Waynesville, N.C., led Gardner-Webb in the men's 500 free, finishing fast for a 7th place finish with a time of 4:41.96. Fellow freshman Luke Denman (Greenville, N.C.) added a 13th place finish, touching the wall at 4:50.19 for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Denmark's (Raleigh, N.C.) 5th place performance in the 200 I.M. paced Gardner-Webb, as the junior turned in a time of 1:55.57 in the event. Sophomore Brandon Searle (Melbourne, Fla.) recorded a 14th place finish with a time of 2:00.42, and junior Cody Meyers (Mobile, Ala.) timed in at 2:02.60 to place 17th in the event.
James, a sophomore swimming in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C., turned in the fastest GWU time of the night in the 50 free, placing 20th with a time of 22.48. Anderson (Fortaleza, Brazil) also picked up points for the men's squad, tying for 21st place (22.51) in his first meet in over a year after rehabilitating from a shoulder injury last season.
Gardner-Webb finished the night strong, turning in a 5th place finish (3:29.62), just behind 4th place ECU (3:29.50) in the men's 400 medley relay. Denmark led off in 52.88, Drew Ellwanger swam the third fastest breaststroke leg of the meet (57.74), Hughes swam fly (52.27), and Lile anchored (46.73) to give the Runnin' Bulldogs a top five showing.
"The evening session (Friday) was a great start to the meet for us," said freshman Ryan Palmer (Wrentham, Mass.). "Everyone swam well.
"The camaraderie of this team has been really special thus far," added Palmer. "Tonight was a great start to the season."
The Runnin' Bulldogs return to the pool tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. for the first session of the day. Saturday's evening session is scheduled to start at 5:00 p.m.
