Georgia Southern Wins Five of Six Duals at Davidson
1/23/2011 2:34:00 PM | Swimming and Diving
DAVIDSON, N.C. - The Georgia Southern Swimming and Diving team (12-4) defeated five of its six opponents Saturday, January 22nd, in the seven-team Davidson meet. The Eagles defeated Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA) foes Campbell, Howard, Liberty, North Carolina A&T and Radford. Davidson, playing host to the 16-event meet at the Cannon Natatorium, was the only team to top Georgia Southern.
"The goal for this meet was to be a little better than last weekend and I thought we achieved that overall," stated Head Coach Nathan Kellogg. "We had a couple of season-best and lifetime-best times today. Next weekend is going to be when everything really comes together for us."
Georgia Southern recorded 13 top-three finishes throughout the day, including five first-place finishes. Senior Lindsay Goodman (Knoxville, Tenn.) led the charge, posting first-place times in the 100 backstroke (59.91) and 200 back (2:09.62). Goodman also finished in second place in the 200 I.M. (2:13.81).
Goodman swam the backstroke leg of the 200 medley relay to help the Georgia Southern "A" team, which included Courtney Harrison (Greenville, S.C), Kristen Haudenschild (Woodbridge, Va.) and Caroline Bevillard (Bishop, Ga.), finish third (1:52.20).
Harrison added a pair of solid individual finishes, placing first in the 200 breaststroke (2:27.06) and second in the 100 breast (1:08.48). Teammate Megan Ostrom (St. Louis Park, Minn.) finished the 100 breast with a first-place time of 1:08.34. Pirie Humphries (Athens, Ga) garnered second-place honors in the 200 fly with a season-best time of 2:12.98.
In the diving competition, Georgia Southern's Sara Meisenhelder (Carmel, Ind.) took first-place honors on the 1-meter board with a season best 240.10 while finishing in third place on the 3-meter board (218.55).
Ali Campbell (Ft. McMurray, Alberta, Canada) captured third place in the 500 freestyle (5:14.16) and tapped the wall for a second-place time in the 1000 free (10:37.98). Campbell also swam the first leg in the 400 free relay, pacing the Georgia Southern "A" team, which consisted of Devan White (Kennesaw, Ga.), Katie Crider (Bloomington, Ind.) and Laurie Stephens (Atlanta, Ga.), to a third-place finish (3:41.86).
This is the third time Georgia Southern has defeated Radford and Liberty this season. The Eagles previously outscored both teams in the Florida Gulf Coast quad meet (Jan. 8) and the Highlander Invitational (Nov. 18-20). Georgia Southern also captured its second consecutive win over Campbell and North Carolina A&T as it opened the 2010-11 campaign with wins over both schools at the Campbell double-dual meet (Oct. 15).
Georgia Southern will conclude its regular season next Saturday, January 29th, at home. The Eagles will play host to North Florida at 12 p.m. at the Recreation Activity Center (RAC) located on Akins Boulevard on campus. Admission to the meet is free.
"It's going to be emotional and exciting at the same time," said Coach Kellogg about the Eagles' last home meet of the season. "We want to end the dual meet season on a high note and always want to make sure we send the seniors out with a victory when it's their last time competing at home."
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