Gardner-Webb Swimming Impresses at Western North Carolina Open Water Challenge Saturday Morning
September 15, 2012 | Swimming
Kings Mountain, N.C. - Gardner-Webb swimming stepped outside the swim pool to brave the open water Saturday morning, competing in the Western North Carolina Open Water Challenge at Moss Lake in a preseason tuneup.
The only collegiate team participating Saturday, Gardner-Webb showed off a strong blend of veteran leadership and youthful energy. GWU represented the top two finishers in each event in which it competed at Saturday morning's open water event, and saw two freshmen record multiple first place finishes on the day.
In the morning's 5000 m opening event, freshman Giorgie Graves (Riverview, Fla.) picked up her first win of the day and finished with the top time among women, clocking in at 1:00:49. She was followed by GWU senior Liz Van Halsema (Charlotte, N.C.), whose time of 1:01:37 was second best in the female category.
Another GWU freshman, Madi Dinsmore (New Ipswich, N.H.), accelerated atop the women's overall standings, taking the third fastest time at 1:05:14. She was followed by freshman Caroline Andrews (Hillsborough, N.C.) in fourth with a time of 1:05:55.
Fifth place overall in the women's 5K went to senior Michelle Palacio (Charlotte, N.C.), who finished in 1:06:08 for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
The men's 5000 m saw freshman Nathan Lile (Waynesville, N.C.) take the top time in the collegiate male category. The freshman raced to a time of 56:59 to record the first of two individual wins Saturday.
Lile represented the first of four GWU freshmen to finish atop the collegiate male standings in the 5000 m race. Freshman Andy Watts (Sarasota, Fla.) took second in 58:46, followed by fellow freshman Tate Warden (Charleston, W.V.), whose time ranked third at 59:57. Freshman Luke Denman (Greenville, S.C.) was the fourth fastest GWU swimmer, taking fourth in the category also with a time of 1:00:01.
Distance specialist Sam Wilson (New Bern, N.C.) was fifth, as the junior finished with a time of 1:00:26.
Wilson and Watts competed in the 3000 m race, with Watts taking top honors in a time of 35:29. Wilson grabbed the second fastest time among men in the event, finishing with a time of 37:29.
In the 2000 m race, the Gardner-Webb women garnered the top four spots, and saw eight swimmers crack into the top 10 in the female category. Graves picked up her second win of the day, finishing at in 23:24.
Van Halsema was second again for the Runnin' Bulldogs, recording a time of 24:17. The third fastest women's time in the category belonged to freshman Christina Clayton (Brentwood, Tenn.), who raced home to finish in 25:08. Sophomore Jenna Ballinger (Lexington, Ky.) picked up a fourth place finish in the event, finishing just behind Clayton also with a time of 25:08.
Fifth fastest for GWU in the 2000 m race, and sixth fastest among all females in the event, was Andrews, who clocked in at 25:31. Dinsmore closed fast to take seventh overall at 25:39, and fellow freshman Allie Peterson (Watkinsville, Ga.) was eighth with a time of 25:53.
Palacio, Taylor Schwartz (Westerville, Ohio), and Kaylee McCallan (Melbourne, Fla.) rounded out the top ten for the GWU ladies in the event, with times of 26:17, 26:22, and 26:22 respectively.
For the men in the 2000 m race, GWU freshmen took the top four spots among male participants. Lile once again finished with the top time, crossing the finish line at 22:26 for his second win of the day.
Warden, Denman, and Watts took second, third, and fourth for Gardner-Webb, recording times of 22:56, 23:07, and 23:40 respectively. Each of the three GWU freshmen took home their second top 5 finish of the day in the men's 2000 m competition.
Senior Tyler Nuss (Hamilton, Ohio) was next for GWU in the event, finishing sixth overall with a time of 24:34. Fellow senior Mitch Turner (Acworth, Ga.) took seventh at 24:57, junior Jordan Denmark (Raleigh, N.C.) was eighth in 25:07, and fellow junior Taft Kallam (Randleman, N.C.) finished ninth in the men's category with a time of 25:11.
Junior Cody Meyers (Mobile, Ala.) and sophomore Brandon Searle (Melbourne, Fla.) wrapped up the top ten finishers for the Gardner-Webb men in the 2000 m race, with times of 25:28 and 25:31 respectively.
Gardner-Webb swimming opens the season Friday, Oct. 5 - Saturday, Oct. 6 at the inaugural North Carolina College Invitational, hosted by N.C. State University at Greensboro, N.C.
