GWU Men's and Women's Swim Teams Stand in Fifth Place After Day One of the 2013 All-N.C. Invitational
October 05, 2013 | Swimming
Greensboro, N.C. - Both Gardner-Webb's men's and women's swim teams have earned fifth place standings after day one of the Friday-Saturday All-N.C. Invitational, hosted by N.C. State University.
Gardner-Webb opened the night with a fifth place finish in the women's 200 free relay, as Mary O'Doherty (24.98), Faith Kempf (24.38), Charity Byrum (24.40), and Christina Clayton (24.38) teamed up for a time of 1:38.14 in the event. GWU also took eighth in the event behind the quartet of Giorgie Graves (24.62), Adél Kiss (24.98), Maria Seward (24.45), and Jenna Ballinger (25.06), who combined to finish at 1:39.11.
In the men's 200 free relay, GWU took fourth place, as Nicholas Dyer (22.27), Nathan Lile (20.84), Cole Hickey (21.28), and Matt Anderson (21.22) teamed up to finish with a time of 1:25.61 in the event. GWU also took ninth in the event after the quartet of Brandon Searle (22.64), Hal McKay (21.73), Phil Leonard (22.20), and Tate Warden (20.85) raced to a time of 1:27.42.
Graves (Riverview, Fla.) led the Runnin' Bulldogs in the women's 500 free, racing to a time of 5:11.87 in the season-opener. Madi Dinsmore (New Ipswich, N.H.) finished 15th (5:17.29) and Ballinger (Lexington, Kent.) took 18th place (5:20.82) in the event.
In the men's 500 free, Luke Denman (Greenville, S.C.) led the Runnin' Bulldogs with an eleventh place finish, closing fast for a time of 4:45.06 in the event. Senior Sam Wilson (New Bern, N.C.) added an 18th place finish (4:54.20) for GWU in the event.
Senior Faith Kempf (Sterling, Kan.) earned a 12th place finish in the women's 200 I.M., leading GWU in the event with a time of 2:12.65. Junior Charity Byrum (Winston-Salem, N.C.) followed in 13th (2:13.22), and sophomore April Niccolai (Naperville, Ill.) added an 18th place showing (2:15.34).
An eleventh place finish by senior Jordan Denmark (Raleigh, N.C.) paced Gardner-Webb in the men's 200 I.M. Denmark's time (1:57.32) marked one of two sub 2:00 times for GWU in the event, the other coming from Lile (Waynesville, N.C.), who raced to a time of 1:57.78 (13th).
In the women's 50 free, junior Mary O'Doherty (Charlotte, N.C.) tied for 11th place with a time of 24.78. Sophomore Christina Clayton (Brentwood, Tenn.) and freshman Maria Seward (Winston-Salem, N.C.) also posted top 20 times in the event, finishing at 25.03 (19th) and 25.05 (20th), respectively.
McKay, a freshman from Birmingham, Ala., led GWU in the men's 50 free in the first individual event of his collegiate career. McKay, who placed 15th (21.78), was joined in the top 20 by Hickey (Charlotte, N.C.), who recorded a time of 21.89 (16th).
In the women's 400 medley relay, GWU placed 10th, with Kaylee McCallan, Byrum, Graves, and Ballinger teaming up for a time of 4:02.48. GWU's 'B' relay in the event, the quartet of Niccolai (1:02.44), Sam Shelley (1:08.91), O'Doherty (1:01.48), and Kempf (54.89), combined to finish in 4:07.72.
Gardner-Webb closed the night with a 14th place showing in the men's 400 medley relay from Colin James (55.04), Denmark (59.92), Searle (53.12), and Lile (46.01), who combined for a time of 3:34.09. The quartet of Connor Bos (53.55), Leonard (1:03.57) Anderson (53.62), McKay (47.71) teamed up to take 19th in the event with a time of 3:38.45.
Day two of the 2013 All-N.C. Invitational opens with the morning session, beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Saturday's evening session is scheduled to start at 5:00 p.m.
