Wiley Wins 400 IM as Gardner-Webb Women's Swimming Jumps to 4th Place on Day Two of 2012 CCSA Championships
February 18, 2012 | Swimming
Athens, Ga. - Gardner-Webb accumulated 155 points on day two of the 2012 CCSA Championships, moving up three positions to reach 4th place in the women's team standings.
Gardner-Webb remains right in the middle of a hotly contested race in the standings, as just 55 points separate the 3rd and 4th place teams.
Sixteen finals swims, obtained during Friday morning's prelims session, set GWU up for a fast night of swimming on Day Two.
Gardner-Webb delivered just that in Friday night's first individual event, as CJay Wiley took top honors in the 400 IM to become the team's first Conference Champion for 2012. Wiley achieved a personal best time of 4:23.63, the program's second fastest 400 IM all-time, to earn top honors in the event.
Senior Lyndsey Roka followed in a season best 4:33.24, placing 13th for GWU. Fellow senior Kiah Bellows grabbed 15th place, finishing with a time of 4:34.84.
Michelle Palacio was 16th in the event for the Runnin' Bulldogs, clocking in at 4:36.14. The junior raced to a season best time of 4:36.05 during Friday morning's prelims.
Gardner-Webb stayed hot by putting two in the Top 8 of the 100 Fly. Junior Laurenn Singleton gave the team a 4th place finish with a personal best time of 56.29. The performance puts Singleton 3rd best in the GWU record books in the event.
Freshman Mary O'Doherty continued her strong weekend with a 6th place finish for GWU with a time of 56.68. O'Doherty swam a personal best 56.62 during the prelims session of the 100 Fly.
In the 200 Free, Gardner-Webb got a 2nd place finish from All-CCSA freshman Jenna Ballinger, whose time of 1:50.91 ranks 2nd in the event for GWU all-time.
Sophomore Faith Kempf took 10th in the event, also posting a personal best time by finishing in 1:52.39.
Another freshman led GWU in the 100 Breast, as Byrum earned All-CCSA honors with a 2nd place finish in the event. Byrum recorded a personal best time of 1:02.37, just 7 one hundredths off first place, to set the program's second fastest time ever in the event.
Sophomore Samantha Shelley grabbed 9th place for Gardner-Webb by winning the consolation heat, racing to a personal best time of 1:04.90. Sophomore Anna Springer finished in a personal best 1:06.24 to give the Runnin' Bulldogs a 12th place finish in the event.
Freshman Jessica Robinson added a 15th place showing in 1:07.04 for the Runnin' Bulldogs. Robinson turned in a personal best 1:06.45 during prelims. Bellows finished 16th for GWU in 1:08.03.
In the 100 Back, Singleton earned her second Top 8 finish of the night, finishing 7th in 57.90.
Gardner-Webb closed Friday night's session with a 4th place finish in the 800 free relay, finishing in a GWU season best time of 7:35.95. Ballinger, Kempf, Liz Van Halsema, and Shelley teamed up to record the 4th fastest time all-time for the Runnin' Bulldogs in the event.
CCSA Championships will resume tomorrow morning, with Day 3 prelims scheduled to commence Saturday morning for the final day of competition. Fans can follow all the action via live video streaming and live results, which can be accessed at the links found above.
