Feb. 24, 2009
FAIRFAX, Va. -- The Old Dominion men's and women's swimming and diving teams begin their quest to bring home a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title on Wednesday as action kicks off at the 2009 CAA Swimming and Diving Championships at the Jim McKay Natatorium at George Mason's Aquatic and Fitness Center. Live results are available courtsey of GoMason.comthroughout the championship.
The Old Dominion men's swimming and diving squad enter the championships sporting a 10-1 overall mark. The Monarchs lone loss this season was to UNC-Wilmington, a team the Monarchs will look to dethrown after having won the last seven CAA titles.
The Monarchs are led by four-time CAA Men's Swimmer of the Week, Arni Mar Arnason (Msfellsbaer, Iceland), who currently holds ODU records in the 100 and 200 breast. Additionally Arnason, who swam last summer in the Beijing Olympics as a member of the Icelandic National Team, also holds the conference's best time in the 100 breast (55.57) and 200 back (2:01.51), as well as the CAA's second best time in the 50 free (20.63).
Other top performers for the Monarchs include: Steven Loccisano (Fredericksburg, Va.), who posted the conference's fourth best time in the 200 free (1:42.70),Kris Hagg (Skovde, Sweden), who posted the fifth fastest time in the CAA in 1000 free (9:55.27), Kevin Latimer (Newport News, Va.), with the league's fifth fastest time in the 200 fly (1:53.10), Mikael Ramkvist (Bjarred, Sweden), who collected the third fastest time among all CAA members in the 200 back (1:52.80), and his brother, Kristian Ramkvist (Bajarred, Sweden), who recorded the fifth fastest time in 200 IM (1:55.15) and 400 IM (4:10.26) among all CAA competitors.
The Old Dominion women's swimming and diving team enters the CAA Championships with a 9-7 overall mark. The Lady Monarchs placed eighth last year at the meet.
The Lady Monarchs have been paced by Erla Dogg Haraldsdottir (Njardvik, Iceland), who was named a CAA Women's Swimmer of the Week, earlier in the season. Haraldsdottir, who joined Arnason as a member of the Icelandic delagation to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has broken the ODU school record in the 100 breast this season. She also holds the second fastest time in the 100 breast (1:03.24) and 200 breast (2:20.68) and the third fastest time in the 200 IM (2:06.60) among the members of the CAA.
April Barrientos (Va. Beach, Va.) has also been a top peformer in the back events. Barrientos has swam her way to the third top time in the 100 back (57.31) and 200 back (2:05.17).
Additionally, Agata Nowak (Gorzow, Poland) reset the ODU school record in the 100 fly with a time of 56.65, a record that had stood for nearly 25 years.
On the boards, Jasmine Moore (Yorktown, Va.) dove her way to a score of 254.70 during the regular season on the 1 meter, logging the fifth highest score among her CAA competitors.
Action begins on Wednesday with the 200 medley relay, 800 free relay, and women's 3-meter diving. Thursday features the 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, 200 free relay, and men's 1-meter diving. On Friday, the championships continue with the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 400 medley relay, and women's 1-meter diving. The 2009 CAA men's and women's swimming and diving champions will be crowned on Saturday following the finals of the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, 400 free relay, and men's 3-meter diving.