The William & Mary women's swimming team picked up its first gold medal of the Colonial Athletic Association Championships on Thursday night, using that win and three podium finishes to stand second overall a third of the way through the championships. James Madison used a strong showing in the first diving event to jump out in front with 308 points, with the Tribe second at 235 and Towson third with 181 points.
500 Free
- The first final of the night was the 500 free, where sophomore
Megan Bull (Hillsborough, N.J.) took it easy over the first half of the race before pouring it on in the final 250 to win her second consecutive CAA Championship. Bull stopped the clock in 4:44.62, breaking her own school record from a year ago and her second record of the week after also breaking the 200 free last night. That was an NCAA Provisional qualifier, and the first back-to-back championship for the Tribe in any event since
Jaimie Miller '17 swept the 50 and 100 free in both 2016 and 2017.
- Senior
Maria Oceguera (New Rochelle, N.Y.) took fourth overall in a season-fast 4:52.38, just a quarter second off of her lifetime-best. Oceguera's time was still the 14th-fastest ever at W&M.
- Sophomore
Tara Tiernan (West Hartford, Conn.) swam her second personal-best of the day, and finished fifth overall in 4:54.04. An improvement of 1.5 seconds from this morning's prelims, that time now ranks Tiernan 10th all-time at W&M.
- Senior
Morgan Smith (Verona, N.J.) was seventh overall in 4:56.30, and junior
Norah Hunt (Stuarts Draft, Va.) was 10th in the consolation finals, improving her time from prelims to finish in 4:56.50.
- Freshman
Inez Olszewski (New York, N.Y.) had her second personal-best of the day to finish in 4:58.35 for 14th place, and also improved to 14th all-time among Tribe athletes in the 500.
200 IM
- In the 200 IM, junior
Julia Bland (Sea Girt, N.J.) earned her first all-conference award with a runner-up showing. Bland had the fastest freestyle leg of the race, charging down the homestretch to swim a lifetime-best 2:02.61 and improve nearly two-tenths from this morning. That was the sixth-fastest race in school history, and improves Bland's standing as the fifth-fastest athlete ever at W&M.
- Freshman
Ellie Henry (Southern Pines, N.C.) took eighth overall, stopping the clock in 2:05.50, and sophomore
Diana Tramontano (Greenwich, Conn.) was 14th in 2:06.00, just one one-hundredth of a second behind her lifetime-best set this morning.
50 Free
- The final individual event of the night was the 50 free, and the Tribe effort was led by freshman
Missy Cundiff (Leesburg, Va.) in a fifth-place 23.09 seconds.
- Right behind her in sixth was senior
Annie Miller (Houston, Texas), touching the wall in 23.15 seconds, and her classmate
Katie Sell (Fredericksburg, Va.) swam a season-fast 23.47 seconds for 11th in the consolation finals.
- Freshman
Anna Kenna (Chantilly, Va.) was just off her personal-best pace from this morning, and added another team point to the score after taking 16th in 23.89 seconds.
200 Free Relay
- Those four sprinters were back in the water following the diving event, competing in the 200 free relay. The senior Miller led-off the team in 23.09 seconds, just 0.02 off her best time of the season, and handed off to Cundiff in third. The rookie split 22.77 on her leg, the fastest of all second legs in the race, and gave way to her classmate Kenna who swam a strong 23.30 to finish her leg in third overall. Sell handled the anchor in a very respectable 23.22 seconds, and delivered her teammates the bronze medal in 1:32.38. That was the ninth-fastest time ever at W&M.
The CAA Championships continue Friday with prelims beginning at 10 a.m. in the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, and 100 back.
2019 CAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championships
Team Standings (7 of 20 events scored)
1. James Madison 308
2. William & Mary 235
3. Towson 181
4. UNCW 167.5
5. Northeastern 146.5
6. Drexel 131
7. Delaware 93
