Oct. 18, 2008
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- The Old Dominion men's swimming and diving team, who went a perfect 10-0 last season, continued its winning ways by kicking off the 2008-09 season with a 188-112 victory over Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival, William & Mary. The women fell in their 2008-09 debut, 181-119, to the Tribe.
The meet saw the Monarchs' Arni Mar Arnason (Msfellsbaer, Iceland), a member of the 2008 Icelandic Olympic team, set a new 100 breast school record, while the Lady Monarchs managed to see four members swim to top 10 all-time performances.
Kristofer Hagg (Skovde, Sweden) gave the Monarchs their first event win of the 2008-09 season and the first of 12 event victories over the Tribe. Hagg won the 1000 free in a time of 9:55.27. Later in the day, Hagg would also capture the 500 free by hitting the wall first in a time of 4:46.76.
Chad Gangwer (Virginia Beach, Va.) also added to the Monarch victory with his 200 free swim. An All-CAA performer in the event, Gangwer logged a time of 1:43.95 for the victory.
Arni Mar Arnason (Msfellsbaer, Iceland), a member of the 2008 Icelandic Olympic team, won the first of two events by setting not only a new William & Mary pool record, but also a new ODU school record. Arnason captured a time of 55.63 in the 100 breast, resetting the Monarch record of 56.67 set by Johan Lundberg (Fjaras, Sweden) last season and the pool record of 57.80 by Matt Layne of UNC-Wilmington last January. Old Dominion went one-two in the event as Joshua Kinas (Reston, Va.) placed second behind Arnason in a time of 58.68, also putting his name on the top ten ODU 100 breast performance list at number nine.
Arnason also took home the 50 free with a time of 21.03, the ninth top time in ODU history.
Mikael Ramkvist (Bjarred, Sweden) also won two events on the day. His first was in the 100 back with a time of 52.24. His first was in the 200 back with a time of 1:52.80, while he earned the top time in the 200 IM as well. Ramkvist registered a first place time of 1:56.81, while Kinas finished right behind for second with a time of 1:57.47.
Arnason and Ramkvist teamed up for another Old Dominion win, along with Gangwer and Steven Loccisano (Fredericksburg, Va.) in the 400 free relay. The Monarchs logged a time of 3:08.64, outpacing the Tribe's second place team by over two seconds.
Mikael's brother, Kristian Ramkvist (Bjarred, Sweden), making his Monarch debut after sitting out last season following a transfer from East Carolina, won the 200 breast. He clocked in with a time of 2:08.76
On the boards, Peter Stickl (Falls Church, Va.) won both the required and optionals on the 1 meter. He collected 155.40 points on the required 1 meter and scored a 244.65 on the optionals on the 1 meter.
The Lady Monarchs kicked off the 2008-09 season by winning the 200 medley relay. The squad of April Barrientos (Va. Beach, Va.), Erla Dogg Haraldsdottir (Njardvik, Iceland), Agata Nowak (Gorzow, Poland). amd Jayme Weimer (Victoria, Canada) posted a time of 1:47.68 to not only win the event, but also capture the second fastest time in ODU history. Barrientos was also a member of the squad that holds the record as they swam to a 1:46.24 time last season.
Barrientos' winning ways continued in the 100 back. The Lady Monarch record holder in the event, clocked in with a time of 57.32. Her time set a new William & Mary pool record, surpassing the previous record of 57.97 set by William & Mary's Katie Radloff last October.
Erla Dogg Haraldsdottir (Njardvik, Iceland), a member of the 2008 Icelandic Olympic team who was a member of the winning 200 medley relay squad, won three more events against the Tribe and placed her name in the Old Dominion record book several more times. In the 100 breast, Haraldsdottir placed first with a time of 1:05.84, placing her name fifth all-time in the Lady Monarch record books.
Later in the day, Haraldsdottir won the 200 breast, as the Lady Monarchs went one-two-three in the event. Her time of 2:24.30 gave her the seventh fastest ODU time. Jennifer Sargent (Chesterfield, Va.) placed second with a time of 2:25.61 and Lauren Fiskus (Yorktown, Va.) captured third with a time of 2:26.10.
Haraldsdottir also won 200 IM with a time of 2:08.54 as ODU went one-two in the event. Haraldsdottir's time placed her sixth on the Lady Monarch all-time list. Her teammate Madeline Stiles (Fairfax, Va.) finished second, logging a time of 2:11.37.
Agata Nowak (Gorzow, Poland), who was also a member of the 200 medley relay team and was making her Lady Monarch debut following her transfer from Clemson, also managed to place in her among the Lady Monarchs' top ten times. Competing in the 100 fly, she swam to a time of 57.98, good enough to put her fourth on the ODU all-time list.
On the boards, Jasmine Moore (Yorktown, Va.) placed first on the 1 meter optionals with a score of 216.67 and third on the 1 meter requires with a 145.50.
The Old Dominion men's and women's swimming and diving teams return to the pool on Friday, October 31st and Saturday. November 1st in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Monarchs will compete against Drexel and William & Mary, while the women will take on the Dragons and Tribe, as well as James Madison and Northeastern.