Eagles procure top notch week at Nationals
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The final day of the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships wrapped up a historic week for the Carson-Newman swim program.
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The final day of the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships wrapped up a historic week for the Carson-Newman swim program.
It has arguably been the best trip to Nationals in the history of the program, which featured 10 school record swims and 5 All-American swims heading into Saturday.
Maggie Melhorn was the lone swimmer to compete for the Eagles in the finals on Saturday night after notching a sixth-place finish in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:15.75.
In her final individual swim as an Eagle, Melhorn put together her second All-America award of the week with a new school record performance at 2:13.09 and a third-place finish. The native of Knoxville, Tenn. shaved off over 2.6 seconds from her previous best time in the event.
In her final individual swim as an Eagle, Maggie Melhorn collects her second All-America award of the week with a new school record for @cnswim pic.twitter.com/8yjqvTtTG2
— C-N Athletics (@CNathletics) March 18, 2018
Margaret Stansberry landed in the 'B' final of the 100 freestyle after an 11th-place finish during the prelims with a new season-low time of 50.44. The Knoxville, Tenn. native finished third in the consolation final, 11th overall, with an even better time at 50.29 seconds for an honorable mention All-America finish.
"It's impossible to replace Margaret and Maggie," Coach Jordan Taylor mentioned. "I have been on their journey with them for all four years, they are friends rather than just swimmers. They have been a delight to coach and all their amazing accomlishments are a result of their dedication and hard work to their craft. They have both been pivotal to the growth and development of this team. I will miss them dearly but I;m sure this is not goodbye!"
Caleb Howell sat in 11th-place in the 200 breaststroke and will compete in the 'B' final with a time of 1:59.95 just short of his school record. The Easley, S.C. native wrapped up the evening 15th-overall with a time of 2:01.13 for his second honorable mention All-America honor as an individual this week.
The girls' relay team of Lisa Postma, Melhorn, Elly Culp and Stansberry recorded a 10th place time with at 3:24.44 and competed in the 'B' final. The foursome came in with a 12th-overall finish at 3:25.28 adding an honorable mention All-America swim to their tally.
The C-N women's team will finish season ranked No. 9 in the country after recording 166.5 points through four days. It's the highest ranking for the team in its history. The Eagles were just edged by conference foe Wingate who had 186 points. The men's side fell back from the 26th position to No. 28 to end the season.
"It's amazing to be ranked inside the top-10," Taylor said. "It's something I have been aiming for since I was so lucky enough to get the head coaching job. This team has been working towards this over the past few years. I couldn't be more pleased for all of them and what they have achieved this week!"
All-American Swims
Lisa Postma - 50 Freestyle
Margaret Stansberry, Lisa Postma, Elly Culp, Maggie Melhorn - 200 Medley Relay
Margaret Stansberry - 200 Freestyle
Margaret Stansberry, Lisa Postma, Elly Culp, Mary Northcutt - 200 Freestyle Relay
Maggie Melhorn - 100 Breaststroke
Maggie Melhorn - 200 Breaststroke
-CN-
