Feb. 23, 2010
2010 CAA Championship Live Results.
FAIRFAX, Va. - The Old Dominion men's and women's swimming and diving teams are preparing for the 2010 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Swimming and Diving Championships at Jim McKay Natatorium at George Mason's Aquatic and Fitness Center.
The Monarch men's swimming and diving squad (7-1) returns to the CAA Championships with a familiar story from last year. UNC Wilmington, defending their eighth straight CAA Championship, is the Monarchs only loss for the second season-in-a-row and they have finished second to the Seahawks the past two seasons at championships.
Earlier in the season, Arni Arnason (Msfellsbaer, Iceland) led the Monarchs to a sweep over George Mason, Army and American with four victories en-route to being named CAA Swimmer of the Week. The reigning CAA Swimmer and Rookie of the Year earned seven All-CAA honors, including first place times in the 50 free, 100 and 200 breast, along with all-conference honors as a member of the 200 and 400 free relay and 200 and 400 medley relay squads.
Fellow Monarch Johan Lundberg (Fjaras, Sweden) joined Arnason last season with seven All-CAA accolades, bringing his career total to 13 all-conference honors. Lundberg is a two-time CAA Champion in the 200 individual medley and also picked All-CAA recognition in the 100 and 200 breast, as well as with the 200 and 400 free relay and 200 and 400 medley relay teams.
Other returning all-conference swimmers for the Monarchs including Kristian and Mikael Ramkvist (Bjarred, Sweden), senior Chad Gangwer (Virginia Beach, Va.) and junior Steven Loccisano (Fredericksburg, Va). Gangwer was the CAA Champion in the 200 free, setting a new ODU benchmark, and also picked up all-conference honors in the 200, 400, and 800 free relays and 400 medley relays, while Kristian Ramkvist earned all-conference distinction in the 200 individual medley. Additionally Mikael Ramkvist and Loccisano earned All-CAA in the relays.
On the women's side, the Lady Monarchs enter the CAA Championships with a 5-5 overall mark, including wins over the College of Charleston, George Washington, Northeastern, Army, and American. Last year, the ODU women's swimming and diving team finished seventh at the conference championship.
The Lady Monarch's April Barrientos (Va. Beach, Va.) earned three All-CAA honors as the conference champion in the 100 back and as part of the 200 and 400 medley relay teams. She set a new CAA, ODU and personal best record time in the 100 back with 55.48 at last year's CAA Championship.
Other returning Lady Monarchs with All-CAA honors from last year are sophomore Erla Dogg Haraldsdottir (Njardvik, Iceland), senior Agata Nowak (Gorzow, Poland), and in the relays junior Elizaveta Moiseeva (Moscow, Russia) and sophomore Madeline Stiles (Fairfax, Va).
Haraldsdottir earned five All-CAA honors last season from her performances in the 100 and 200 breast, 200 individual medley, and with the 200 and 400 medley relay teams. Her 200 individual medley and breast times were new ODU Lady Monarch records. Nowak picked up three All-CAA awards with an NCAA "B" cut time and ODU record in the 100 fly, as well as with the 200 and 400 medley relay squads. Stiles and Moiseeva meanwhile rounded out the all-conference performers on the women's side in the relay events.
Competition starts on Wednesday with women's 3 meter diving. On Thursday, ODU will compete in the 200 free, 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, 400 medley relay, and men's 1 meter diving. Friday will see action in the 200 medley relay, 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 800 free relay, and women's 1 meter diving. The championships will come to a close on Saturday with the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, 400 free relay, and men's 3 meter diving finals.
For live scoring at the 2010 CAA Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, click here.