Feb. 23, 2012
FAIRFAX, Va. -- Senior Arni Arnason (Mosfellsbaer, Iceland), sophomore Sidni Hoxha (Tirane, Albania), and the men's 400 medley relay squad all captured Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) titles on day two of the CAA Swimming & Diving Championships on Thursday.
The Old Dominion men's swimming & diving squad currently stands in third place with 169 points following day two action, behind first-place UNC-W with 221 points and host George Mason with 200 points.
The Old Dominion women's swimming & diving team currently stands in fifth place after 11 events with 110 points. James Madison leads the women's side with 269 points followed by Towson with 191 points and UNC-W in third with 153 points.
Two-time CAA Swimmer of the Year and five-time CAA Men's Swimmer of the Week in 2012 Arni Arnason, captured his second straight 200 individual medley and reset the conference and ODU record he set last season in the event by three seconds. Clocking in with a time of 1:46.97, he collected an NCAA "B" cut time.
Also repeating as CAA champion was Sidni Hoxha in the 50 freestyle. Hoxha, last year's CAA Rookie of the Year, tied the CAA championship record and set a new ODU benchmark with an NCAA "B" cut time of 19.71. Hoxha becomes the second ever Monarch to come in under the 20-second mark in the 50 freestyle.
Arnason and Hoxha were also apart of the record breaking 400 medley relay squad. Along with Birkir Jonsson (Keflavik, Iceland) and Andrew Crockett (Toano, Va.), the Monarch squad raced to an NCAA "B" cut time of 3:16.01 and new ODU record for the CAA title.
In other action on Thursday, both the men's and women's 200 freestyle relay teams placed their names into the record logs. On the men's side, the Monarch team of Sidni Hoxha, Andrew Crockett, Carter Watson (Forest, Va.), and Arni Arnason took fourth place, narrowly edged out by third place William & Mary by a mere .02 seconds with an NCAA "B" cut time of 1:20.91 and a new ODU record. For the women, Erla Haraldsdottir (Njardvik, Iceland), Savannah Bowers (Va. Beach, Va.), Madeline Stiles (Fairfax, Va.), and Emma Forbes (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) may have took sixth place, but logged the third fastest time in the Lady Monarch books with a time of 1:35.28.
Three men's swimmers were featured in the 500 freestyle final. Bernardo Figuredo (Brazil) took third in the event and set a new ODU record hitting the wall in a time of 4:26.34 ODU record, while Daniel Camozzo (Herndon, Va.) took with fourth (4:30.41) and Jason Brame took seventh (4:34.35). In consolation finals, Andrew Cook placed 14th (4:36.10).
For the women, Yesim Giresunlu reached the finals of the 500 freestyle taking seventh with her time of 4:55.34.
On the women's side of the 200 individual medley, Erla Haraldsdottir captured a NCAA "B" cut time of 2:01.35 with her third place finish. She was followed junior Kimberley Rashleigh (Sydney, Australia) in fourth recording a time of 2:01.81, the second fastest time in the ODU records.
Other notable performances from day two action, included Emma Forbes swimming to the fifth fastest time on the Lady Monarch record list with her 13th place finish (23.85) in the 50 freestyle and Carter Watson placing 16th (1:53.86) in the 200 individual medley
Ending day two action was the 400 yard medley. While the men's squad claimed the title, on the women's side, the ODU team consisting of Kimberley Rashleigh, Erla Haraldsdottir, Ashley Luchsinger, and Emma Forbes may have taken sixth place (3:44.55), but still managed to capture the third fastst time at ODU in the event.
In diving, Mitchell Ortiz (Alexandria, Va.) placed seventh scoring a 221.05 on the 1 meter
Day Three action on Friday will feature the 200 medley relay, 400 individual medley100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke,Women's 1 meter diving, and 800 freestyle relay. Live stats throughout the championship are available by clicking here.
Men - Team Rankings - Through Thursday
1. University of North Carolina W - 221
2. George Mason University - 200
3. Old Dominion University - 169
4. William and Mary - 157
5. Delaware - 123
6. Drexel University - 88
7. Towson University - 80
Women - Team Rankings - Through Thursday
1. James Madison University - 269
2. Towson University Swimming - 191
3. University of North Carolina W - 153
4. William and Mary - 126.5
5. Old Dominion University - 110
6. George Mason University - 87
7. Northeastern University - 76.5
8. Delaware - 74
9. Drexel University - 41