Gardner-Webb Women's Swimming Falls at Davidson, 166-128, on Saturday
January 19, 2014 | Swimming
Davidson, N.C. - Four different Runnin' Bulldogs won individual events, and Gardner-Webb closed the meet strong with a 1st place finish in the 800 free relay, the team was unable to overcome an early deficit in falling to CCSA rival Davidson 166-128 in dual meet action on Saturday.
Davidson jumped on top with a win in the meet-opening 400 medley relay. Kaylee McCallan, Charity Byrum, Mary O'Doherty, and Faith Kempf teamed up finish 2nd with a time of 3:57.51.
The quartet of April Niccolai, Anna Springer, Sarah Singleton, and Jenna Ballinger turned in a 3rd place finish in the event, combining to finish in 4:03.06.
Freshman Adél Kiss led GWU in the 1,000 free, stepping in to take 3rd place with a time of 11:01.36. The Wildcats took 1st and 2nd in the event, however, padding their early lead.
Davidson further added to its lead by going 1-2 in the 200 free. GWU's Kempf (1:56.28), Christina Clayton (1:58.81), and Ballinger (2:01.29) finished 3rd, 4th, and 5th respectively in the event.
In the 100 back, McCallan (Melbourne, Fla.) gave Gardner-Webb its first win of the day, timing in at 58.77. Niccolai (Naperville, Ill.) finished off a 1-2 showing in the event after finishing with a time of 59.82, helping give Gardner-Webb much needed momentum.
Byrum (Winston-Salem, N.C.) led GWU in the 100 breast, finishing 2nd with a time of 1:07.15. Seniors Anna Springer (1:08.91) and Sam Shelley (1:09.42) took 4th and 5th in the event, respectively, but Davidson used 1st and 3rd place finishes to pull away.
In the 200 fly, GWU's Giorgie Graves (Riverview, Fla.) took 2nd place, securing a time of 2:10.97 to lead the team in the event. Kempf (2:12.34) and CJay Wiley (2:12.85) took 4th and 5th, respectively in the event for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
O'Doherty (Charlotte, N.C.) won the 50 free for the second consecutive meet, sprinting to a time of 24.91. The junior followed by going 54.38 in the 100 free, 3rd best in the event, while Graves finished 2nd in 53.76 in a tight race.
GWU looked to regain momentum in the 200 back, and did just that by going 1-2-3 in the event. Niccolai won in 2:07.01, McCallan was 2nd with a time of 2:10.75, and Ballinger took 3rd in 2:11.65 in a strong event for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Davidson went 1-2-3 in the 500 free to effectively put the meet out of reach. The Runnin' Bulldogs continued to race hard, responding with great showings in the meet's final two events, the 200 IM and the 800 free relay. Byrum (2:13.38) led a 1-2-3 finish with a win in the 200 IM, and Graves, Clayton, Kempf, and Ballinger won the 800 free relay with a total time of 8:02.70 to close the meet strong.
The Runnin' Bulldogs return to the pool for its Senior Day meet at home against College of Charleston. The two-day meet starts at 6:00 p.m. Friday, January 31 before resuming on Saturday, February 1 at 11:00 a.m.
