Dec. 3, 2010
NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion men's and women's swimming squads are back in the water on Saturday, December 4th when they host the George Washington Colonials at 2 p.m. at the J.C. "Scrap" Chandler Pool in the Student Recreation Center.
In their last appearance, the Old Dominion swimming and diving squads set four new ODU records, made 16 finals appearances, and recorded five NCAA "B" cut times at the 2010 Janis Hape Dowd Nike Cup at Koury Natatorium on the campus of University of North Carolina. The ODU men finished up the final day of competition in sixth overall, while the ODU women placed seventh.
For their efforts, junior Arni Arnason (Mosfellsbaer, Iceland) earned his third Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Men's Swimmer of the Week Award, while classmate Erla Haraldsdottir (Njardvik, Iceland) was named the CAA's Women's Co-Swimmer of the Week.
Arnason broke two Nike Cup records as he won the 200 breast with an NCAA "B" cut time of 1:57.87 and also captured the 100 breast title with a Nike Cup record and NCAA "B" cut time of 53.92.
Arnason's time of 53.92 in the 100 breast is also the second fastest time recorded so far this season in the event among all Division I swimmers. John Criste of Stanford currently holds the fastest time having swam the 100 breast in a time of 53.37.
In addition to his two titles in the breaststroke, Arnason was also a finalist in the 200 IM. He captured his fifth ODU record of his career as he finished in 2nd place with a time of 1:49.53, only .28 seconds away from an NCAA "B" cut time.
Meanwhile, fellow Icelandic Olympian Haraldsdottir captured an NCAA "B" cut time of 2:15.65 in 200 breast to take seventh overall and took second place with an ODU record time of 1:01.15 in the 100 breast. Her new 100 breast record surpasses her own previous top time of 1:01.32 recorded last season.
Haraldsdottir also was a finalist in the 200 IM placing eighth by clocking in with a time of 2:04.55.
There were also several other notable Monarch performances at the Nike Cup.
Sophomore Jessica Hubert (Newport News, Va.) and junior Maddie Stiles (Fairfax, Va.) were each finalists in the 200 fly. Hubert swam to an NCAA "B" cut and ODU record time of 2:00.37 to claim second place. Hubert, who had set the ODU record in 200 fly last season, surpasses her previous mark of 2:02.96. Stiles meanwhile claimed sixth in the 200 fly (2:03.41).
Sophomore Kimberley Rashleigh (Sydney, Australia) was a finalist in three events. She was a finalist in the 200 back and set a new ODU record. Rashleigh hit the wall tied for third place with the new Lady Monarch top time of 1:59.73. She resets the previous mark of 2:01.19 set by teammate April Barrientos (Va. Beach, Va.) last year. Rashleigh also took eighth in both the 400 IM (4:23.63) and 100 back (57.66). Her 400 IM time was just .22 seconds off the Lady Monarch record and puts her name second on the all-time top times list in the event.
Joining Rashleigh in the 100 back finals was two-time CAA Champion April Barrientos (Va. Beach, Va.). Barrientos hit the wall in a time of 55.63 to take fourth.
Sophomore Jason Brame (Lynchburg, Va.) also made a finals appearance for the Monarchs in the 400 IM. Brame claimed sixth in his time of 3:59.27 in the fourth fastest time in the Monarch records.
Danielle Naylor (Swinton, England) was a finalist in the 1650 free on the final day. She took eighth place with her time of 16:50.39. Her time was the second fastest in the ODU books and was just over a second over the all-time Lady Monarch top time.
Freshman Sidni Hoxha (Tirane, Albania) tied for second in the the 50 free. Hoxha's time of 20:32 was a mere .04 seconds off an NCAA "B" cut time and was the second fastest time in Monarch history.
Freshman Malin Ekstrand (Halmstad, Sweden) took eighth in the 50 free for the women and was also close to an NCAA "B" time. Ekstrand hit the wall in 23.82, .80 seconds off the "B" cut, and placed her name third in the all-time record books.
The Old Dominion women enter Saturday's meet with the Colonials with a 4-3 mark, which has included victories over CAA rival Northeastern, as well as Richmond, Radford, and the College of Charleston.
Last year against George Washington, the Lady Monarchs won seven events en-route to a 112077 victory over the Colonials. Haraldsdottir swam to a first place time of 24.73, m, while Maddie Stiles (Fairfax, Va.) and Lauren Fiskus (Yorktown, Va.) finished at the top of the field in the 200 IM. Stiles took the top time of 2:13.61 while Fiskus claimed second place with a time of 2:14.96. Additionally, Barrientos added to the Lady Monarch win column with her 100 back time. She logged a first place finish by hitting the wall as the only competitor in under a minute at 57.63.
The Old Dominion men meanwhile enter the water undefeated at 3-0 with wins over the CAA's defending champion UNC-Wilmington, as well as William & Mary and the College of Charleston. The Monarchs have won eight straight meets dating back to last season.
Last year against George Washington, the Monarchs men earned eight wins en-route to a 108-89 victory over the Colonials. Jason Brame (Lynchburg, Va.) took home the top time in the 1000 free as he logged a time of 9:59.71 as the only competitior to hit the wall in under the 10-minute mark. Arnason was also among those time times taking first in the 50 free in a time of 21.18.
Following Saturday's meet with the Colonials, the Monarchs and Lady Monarchs will travel to Fort Myers, Florida at the end of December for their annual training trip.