Lawrence, Kan. – Carson-Newman swimming walked away with several improvements to its 2017 times on Saturday morning at the CSCAA Open Water Championships.
It was the third-straight season C-N had competed in the event. In 2017, the Eagles took home the crown as the highest finish of any Division II team, as they would claim that spot once again in 2018. The Eagles men's team claimed third-overall with a total of 50 points, topping teams such as TCU (54) and Texas A&M (55) tie George Washington (55) for 5th place.
The race consisted of a two-loop swim at Lone Star Lake in 50-degree weather that covers 3.1 miles (5K). The championship field in 2018 brought in many Division I schools including Missouri, Texas A&M, TCU, Missouri State, Kansas, and more.
The first three swimmers from each team to cross the finish line received the points that correspond to their place. The first place swimmer receives one point, the second place swimmer two, and so on. The team receiving the lowest score wins.
The championship field consists of 73 females and 68 males coming from a diverse group of colleges and universities spanning across the entire United States. One individual from each race will be crowned a CSCAA national champion. In addition, the top-eight from each event will be honored, along with the top team from each race.
"It was a really good day for us and it got cold this morning," Coach Jordan Taylor mentioned. "You can compare an open water race to where it's similar to runners for cross country vs. track. You have five people around you fighting for the same space and at the same time you're trying to pick the right line and continue dealing with the current. You have to work a lot harder."
Regina Zipperer (Germantown, Tenn.) collected a fourth-place finish out of all D2 swimmers who competed. 8th overall. She finished the race with a time of 1:09:43.79.
Zipperer claimed a 17th place overall finish in the 2017 College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) National Collegiate Open Water Championship, finishing second overall among D2 swimmers. Zipperer completed the course in 1:08:29.77.
Zipperer also competed in the championships in 2016 where as a freshman she collected a 17th-place finish with a time of 1:10:25.00. Figueiredo, Jon Lancaster (Ringgold, Ga.), and Carson Knox (Plant City, Fla.) were the only other current participants who were on the roster in 2016.
It was the first event as an Eagle for newcomer Paula Chenquer who turned in a time of 1:15:22.56 which sat her in 66th overall.
Marcelo Figueiredo (Porto Alegre, Brazil) took home the top spot out of all D2 swimmers, which was good for sixth overall in the race just three D1 schools. The senior topped various notable D1 talent from Missouri, Missouri State, Texas A&M, and TCU with a time of 59:39.69, which was over four minutes faster than his time last season.
Figueiredo held the fourth position halfway through the race. Less than five minutes later he gained ground moving into third-place breaking away with the leaders.
"Maturation going in was better this year than last year," Coach Taylor stated. "Seeing him progress all the way through leading up to the event was important for him and I think proving a point with the mindset and belief that you belong with the top swimmers in the country. He had to fight to get into position at times and it was a good battle with guys around him but being sixth in the country is great for him."
Casey Charles (Mount Juliet, Tenn.) came in shortly behind the aforementioned teammate Figueiredo, with a third-place finish among D2 swimmers and 16th overall at a time of 1:01:25.99. improving nearly three minutes from last year's race.
In 2017, Charles checked in at No. 12 with a time of 1:04:18.35 finishing ahead of Figueiredo at No. 15 who finished with a time of 1:04:23.06.
Caleb Howell (Easley, S.C.), who led all Eagle swimmers in the event in 2017 with a 10th-place finish, garnered the No. 28 spot improving on his time by over a minute at 1:03:16:08.
Howell posted a time of 1:04:16.66 in 2017 as the Eagles held a total of 5 swimmers in the top-25 en route its top-finish.
Carson Knox (Plant City, Fla) checked in at No. 36 overall with a time of 1:05:28.72 which also improved on his 2017 finish at 1:08:40.37
Josh Winn rounded out the C-N male swimmers with a time of 1:07:26.39 for a spot at No. 41. The time was also an improvement for Winn who finished last year's race in 1:08:17.71.
Figueiredo, Knox, and Winn were the only other current participants who were on the roster in 2016 when C-N competed in the event. Figueiredo claimed the highest finish for the Eagles that year turning in at No. 2 with a time of 1:01:07.28. Knox finished in 18th with a time of 1:07:30.27 and Winn
The Eagles will turn their heads towards Friday. Sept. 28th when the team will pit themselves against each other in the annual Blue's v. Orange meet.
2018 CSCAA OPEN WATER CHAMPIONSHIP
September 22, 2018
Men's Team Scores
1. Missouri 6
2. Missouri State 28
3. Carson Newman 50
4. TCU 54
5. Texas A&M 55
6. George Washington 55
7. Northern Michigan 66
8. Southern Illinois 97
9. Providence 112
10. Fresno Pacific 131
11. Albion 158
12. Wabash 165