Swimming & Diving Begins CCSA Championships Tomorrow

STATESBORO, Ga. – On the verge of the first-ever Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association Championships, the Georgia Southern swimming & diving team is focused and determined to make a run at the conference title.

The Eagles swimming & diving team concluded the regular season on a high-note. GSU reeled off 10 consecutive dual meet victories, compiled a 12-1 record including a 9-1 conference mark and went a perfect 9-0 at the newly constructed Aquatics Center at the Recreation Activities Center (RAC).

In addition to all the team has accomplished, the Georgia Southern squad posted four CCSA Diver of the Week awards and earned Swimmer of the Week honors on three different occasions.

"The hard work is done,” said GSU coach Nathan Kellogg. “Now it's time to relax and enjoy what we've worked so hard for this season. I think we've come a long way since August and our team has developed into a tight-knit group who will race anyone. Likewise, our divers can contend with anyone from the conference. As a coaching staff, we know what our team is capable of doing and it's going to be a ball watching it happen."

GSU has at least one member of the swimming & diving squad in the top 16 of every event. Sophomore Courtney Martz is listed in the top five in three individual events (50 freestyle, 100 and 200 backstroke) and has recorded the sixth best time in the 100 free. The Woodbine, Ga. native has been an instrumental part of the Eagles’ success this season. She finished out the regular season claiming at least three first place finishes for four consecutive weeks.

Freshman Ali Campbell (Alberta, Campbell) set the school record in the 1650 free event with a time of 17:40.75. It was the first school record broken this season for the Eagles. She was GSU’s first swimmer awarded as the CCSA Swimmer of the Week for her performance in the pool on October 17.

The CCSA Championships will be the final meet for seniors Jennifer Clayton (Marietta, Ga.), Amanda Gerdeman (Jacksonville, Fla.), Kimberly Morris (Lawrenceville, Ga.), Britney Simons (Cumming, Ga.) and Jenna Tennant (Marietta, Ga.).

“We have a fairly large senior class, which we have not had in a while,” said Kellogg. “The five seniors have been the glue of this team since they were freshmen.”

The Georgia Southern divers will look to make a splash this weekend and continue the impressive season they have had thus far. The four weekly diving honors ranks second in the conference behind North Florida (5). Junior Katie Creighton (Snellville, Ga.) was the last Eagle to win the award for the week of (Jan. 15). Junior Nikki Hutchison (Kennesaw, Ga.) ranks seventh in the conference in the 3-meter dive with a score of 213.30.

"I think this is going to be a very exciting meet,” said Kellogg. “More than anything, we're looking forward to the opportunity for our young ladies to compete, have fun, and give their best effort. When we do this, the results will take care of themselves."

The CCSA Championships begin tomorrow, February 21 in Huntersville, N.C. The meet continues on Friday and concludes on Saturday.

Category: Swimming & Diving

Published on Wednesday, 20 February 2008 00:08