Byrum Completes Breaststroke Sweep, Wins 200 on Day Three of Wingate Fall Frenzy
November 25, 2013 | Swimming
Charlotte, N.C. - Charity Byrum her second individual event of the weekend with a season best performance in the women's 200 breaststroke to lead a resilient closing effort for Gardner-Webb swimming on day three of the 2013 Wingate Fall Frenzy.
GWU finished in 2nd place in the women's team standings, tallying 1,397 points over the three-day invitational. The Runnin' Bulldogs rallied for a 4th place finish in the men's team standings, accumulating 877 points over the weekend.
Highlighting Sunday's performances, Byrum (Winston-Salem, N.C.) made it a clean sweep of the breaststroke events, finishing off a win in the 200 breast Sunday night with a finals time of 2:21.01 The sophomore, who achieved a season best time Sunday night, won the 100 breast on Saturday, recording a season best 1:03.06 during prelims of that event.
Sophomore distance specialist Madi Dinsmore (New Ipswich, N.H.) opened the night with a 5th place finish in the women's 1,650 free. Dinsmore closed strong for a time of 17:40.84 in leading Gardner-Webb in the event.
In the men's 1,650, Gardner-Webb's Luke Denman (Greenville, S.C.) paced the team, using an aggressive front half to finish 2nd in the event. Denman, the defending CCSA 1,650 freestyle champ, recorded a time of 16:00.43 Sunday night.
Denman was joined in finals by fellow sophomore Andy Watts (Sarasota, Fla.), who swam a strong back-half of the race to finish with a time of 16:19.76. Watts took 5th place in the event, giving GWU two top 5 performances in the event.
Gardner-Webb sent four into finals in the women's 200 back, showing off a team strength with April Niccolai leading the way. The sophomore, Naperville, Illinois native continued her breakthrough meet by finishing 5th in the event thanks to a time of 2:05.06 in finals. Niccolai finished in a season best 2:04.62 in prelims.
Kaylee McCallan (Melbourne, Fla.), Taylor Schwartz (Westerville, Ohio), Jenna Ballinger (Lexington, Kent.) and Sarah Singleton (Elkin, N.C.) also finaled in the 200 back. McCallan finished in 8th place with a finals time of 2:09.62, Schwartz won the consolation heat to finish 9th in a season best 2:06.91, Ballinger moved up to 10th after finishing in a season best 2:06.94, and Singleton continued a strong weekend by finishing with her fastest 200 back time of the season at 2:10.02 (15th).
McCallan finished with a season best time of 2:07.65 in prelims.
In the men's 200 back, Lile (Waynesville, N.C.) won consols to place 9th, his third top 10 finish of the weekend, moving up in finals with a season best time of 1:49.95.
Senior Taft Kallam raced to give Gardner-Webb 14th place, timing in at 1:53.94 Sunday night after securing a season best time of 1:53.83 in the morning. Freshman Connor Bos (Holland, Mich.) placed 17th in the event, winning the 'C' final and improving on his personal best from prelims by over a second to finish with a time of 1:54.37.
Sophomore Caroline Andrews (Hillsborough, N.C.) led GWU in the women's 100 free, securing 7th place while racing to a time of 53.36 in finals, her first top 8 final of the meet. Andrews raced to a personal best time of 53.36, her third all-time best in three individual races over the weekend.
Fellow sophomore Christina Clayton placed 9th, winning the consolation finals of the 100 free with a personal best time of 53.17 and freshman Maria Seward (Winston-Salem, N.C.) tacked on 10th place for GWU, swimming to a personal best time of 53.28 in finals.
The Runnin' Bulldogs put four into finals in the men's 100 free. Freshman Hal McKay (Montgomery, Ala.) and junior Joe MacGregor (Brooksville, Fla.) placed 14th and 15th finishing their finals races in 47.55 and 47.56, respectively. Both McKay (47.15) and MacGregor (47.31) turned in season bests in prelims.
Freshman Nicholas Dyer (Chesapeke, Va.) placed 19th, finishing with a time of 47.75 in finals. Dyer sprinted to a season best time of 47.56 in prelims Sunday morning.
Senior Kristina Grayson (Charlotte, N.C.) also finaled in the event, giving GWU valuable points by winning the 'C' final for 19th place in the event . Grayson, who timed in at 2:29.58 in finals, earned a season best time of 2:29.13 in morning prelims
In the men's 200 breaststroke, Gardner-Webb showed off another team strength, putting five into finals of the event, led by senior Phil Leonard's (Greenville, S.C.) 12th place finish and season best time of 2:11.63 in finals. Denman 16th in finals with a time of 2:15.97, having secured a season best time of 2:14.00 in prelims.
Freshmen Josh Hanson raced to a personal best time in finals of the 200 breast, closing fast to finish at 2:12.39, 12th best in the event. Fellow freshman Andrew Linzie swam his fastest time of the year at 2:18.64 to take 23rd and sophomore Ryan Palmer (Wrentham, Mass.) finished in 24th place (2:20.82), having achieved a season best time of 2:17.72 with his prelims swim in the event.
Sophomore Giorgie Graves (Riverview, Fla.) added to a brilliant weekend with a 2nd place finish in the women's 200 fly, racing to a season best time of 2:04.13 in finals to lead a deep event for GWU.
Three more GWU butterfliers finished in the top 8 of the women's 200 fly. Faith Kempf took 4th, finishing in a season best 2:06.34 in finals, and freshman Adel Kiss finished in 5th, moving up in finals thanks to her fastest time of the season at 2:08.30. Singleton (Elkin, N.C.) also secured a top 8 finish in the event, scoring key points by finishing 8th in 2:10.82 (season best 2:09.67 prelims).
Dinsmore completed the daunting 1,650 free - 200 fly double by moving up five places in the 200 fly, placing 11th in a time of 2:14.53. Dinsmore secured a season best time of 2:13.67 in prelims.
In the men's 200 fly, Lile raced to a season best and top 10 performance for the fourth time on the weekend. The second-year Runnin' Bulldog placed 9th, winning a consolation final for the second time on the night in posting a season best time of 1:51.68.
Fellow sophomore Tate Warden (Charleston, W.Va.) finished in 10th place, racing to a season best 1:55.53 in finals, senior Cody Meyers (Mobile, Ala.) placed 12th in a season best 1:57.03 Sunday night.
The Gardner-Webb women closed the night in the 400 free relay, taking 3rd place with a total time of 3:29.97. Byrum (53.92), Kempf (52.05), Graves (52.04), and Ballinger (51.96) combined for the top 3 finish, and McCallan (54.61), Seward, Andrews, and Clayton (53.12) teamed up for an 8th place (3:36.50).
In the men's 400 free relay, GWU closed strong, earning an 11th place finish from the quartet of Searle (48.04), Dyer (46.91), McKay (48.02), and Warden (46.81) for a combined 3:09.78.
Watts (49.24), MacGregor (47.91), Linzie (48.36), and Bos (49.18) added on points, combining to finish 15th with a time of 3:14.69.
Gardner-Webb swimming transitions into winter break with its midseason taper meet now in the rearview mirror. The Runnin' Bulldogs' next scheduled competition comes at USA Swimming Winter Nationals, held December 5-7 in Knoxville, Tenn.
| Final Results - 2013 Fall Frenzy Invitational |
