The William and Mary men's swimming team did more than everything anyone could have expected at the closest and most exciting Colonial Athletic Association Championships ever held this week, finishing second to UNCW by just eight points, 729.5-721.5.  The meet came down to the very last relay, and it took a conference record to beat a very game Tribe team.

W&M had the three top point-scoring individuals, and four of the top five overall.  Senior Andrew Strait (Henrico, Va.) was named the Swimmer of the Championships for the second year in a row, after winning all three of his individual events and three of four relays.  Strait's six wins this week gave him 10 in his career, most-ever for the Tribe in 87 years of swimming, and his six individual and four relay titles are both also the most-ever for a Tribe swimmer.  He is just the ninth man in conference history to win six or more titles in one meet.  Sophomore Billy Russell (Newport News, Va.) was second in the whole meet with 55 points, winning two individual and three relay titles, and Will Manion (Haddonfield, N.J.) was third with 54.5 points, matching Russell with five golds overall.  The two are part of just 24 athletes ever in the CAA to win five times or more in a single week.

Also making history was Director of Swimming Matt Crispino '02, who was named the CAA Men's Swimming Coach of the Year for the first time.  In addition to being the first-ever Coach of the Year winner for the men's swimming team, it was also the first time since 2008 that the award went to someone other than the coach of the championship team.  W&M's 721.5 points were the most-ever in school history, and most-ever scored by a runner-up team.  The Tribe won three relays for the first time ever, and nine of the 15 individual events.

Complete Results

1,650 Free
The finals began in the afternoon, with timed finals of the 1,650 free.  Senior Tyler Poling (Morristown, N.J.) wrapped up his standout career with a 14th-place finish in 16:04.64, and freshman Joe Eiden (White Plains, N.Y.) was 16th in 16:07.33.  Eiden's 1,000 free split of 9:41.29 ranks him 10th in school history in that event, and his mile time ranks him 13th all-time at W&M.

200 Back
In the 200 back, Manion won his fifth gold of the week, timing a school-record and NCAA qualifying 1:44.68 in his championship effort.  It was the first win in the event for the Tribe since 1998.  Sophomore Justin Barden (Gordonsville, Va.) was fourth in 1:46.90, and freshman Alex Montes de Oca (Orange, Va.) was seventh in 1:47.67.  In the consolation finals, freshman Alex Henderson (Hopewell, Va.) swam a lifetime-best 1:48.99 for 12th overall, and sophomore Lukas Dempsey (New Paltz, N.Y.) also had a lifetime-best 1:50.34 for 16th.  Henderson now ranks eighth in school history, and Dempsey improved to 11th all-time.

100 Free
Next up was the 100 free, where Russell sprung out from the pack off the final wall to take the gold in a school-record and NCAA-qualifying 44.16 seconds.  It was the first 100 free title for W&M since 1999, and Russell is the first to ever win both the 100 and 200 free in the same meet for the Tribe.  Junior Taegan Clarke (Chappaqua, N.Y.) was just .01 off of his prelim time, taking eighth in 45.21 seconds.  His younger brother, freshman Risten Clarke (Chappaqua, N.Y.) finished 14th overall in the consolation finals, touching the wall in 45.52 seconds.

200 Breast
The 200 breast saw the end of an era, as Strait swam in a Tribe uniform for the final time.  As he had all week long, and all of last year as well, Strait proved the class of the race, winning in a lifetime-best and NCAA-qualifying 1:58.46.  Jeremiah O'Donnell (Chapel Hill, N.C.) was third in the race, coming in at a lifetime-best 1:59.96 to improve to third all-time at W&M.  Sophomore Andrew Nyce (Vienna, Va.) was fifth in 2:02.00, and junior Chris Dong (Chapel Hill, N.C.) was sixth in 2:03.05.  Junior Carter Head (Lynchburg, Va.) was 16th in the consolaton finals, touching the wall in 2:07.28.

200 Fly
W&M had two more lifetime-bests in the 200 fly, led by sophomore Ryan Natal (Great Falls, Va.) who finished fourth in 1:48.96, the eighth-fastest time in school history.  Classmate Charley Bowles (Yorktown, Va.) was eighth overall in 1:51.59, and freshman Sean Higgins (Wilton, Conn.) was second in the consolation finals, 10th overall, in 1:50.18 to rank as the third-fastest swimmer in school history.

400 Free Relay
The final event of the championship was the 400 free relay, and the Tribe sent the team of Taegan Clarke, Will Manion, Risten Clarke, and Billy Russell to the starting blocks.  Taegan led things off with a lifetime-best 44.85, the third-fastest single race ever, and Russell chased down the Drexel anchor in the final 50 yards to give W&M the silver medal.  The team's time of 2:58.52 broke the school record set back in 2009 by over two seconds, and was the first time the Tribe ever broke three minutes in the race.

2014 Colonial Athletic Association Swimming and Diving Championships
Final Team Standings
1. UNCW 729.5
2. William and Mary 721.5
3. Towson 551.5
4. Delaware 440
5. Drexel 422
6. College of Charleston 335.5

CAA Men's Swimming Coach of the Year - Matt Crispino, W&M
CAA Men's Swimmer of the Championships - Andrew Strait, W&M

W&M Conference Championships
100 free - Billy Russell
200 free - Billy Russell
100 back - Will Manion
200 back - Will Manion
100 breast - Andrew Strait
200 breast - Andrew Strait
100 fly - Justin Barden
200 IM - Andrew Strait
400 IM - Charley Bowles
800 free relay - Taegan Clarke, Andrew Strait, Will Manion, Billy Russell
200 medley relay - Will Manion, Andrew Strait, Justin Barden, Billy Russell
400 medley relay - Will Manion, Andrew Strait, Justin Barden, Billy Russell