CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Carson-Newman sophomore Natalie Burnett (Sevierville, Tenn.) picked up the Eagles' first-ever event win at the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships Thursday evening in the 50 Free on the second day of the meet.
The sophomore swam a meet and school record setting time of 22.95 at Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center in Charlotte, N.C. Burnett also set an "A"-time, which automatically qualifies her for the NCAA Championships next month in Indianapolis.
After two days of swimming, the women are positioned in fourth-place and the men are placed fifth. Both teams fell a spot from Wednesday's rankings.
"Natalie's gold medal conference finish, with a time like that, stands alone. Not only is this a victory individually for her, but it is a huge milestone for the Carson-Newman swimming program and collegiate swimming in Tennessee," coach Paige McCord said. "She won against the highest level of elite competition in the nation. For a local legend from Sevierville to be our first conference champion, it is very fitting. Congrats to her.
On the second day of competition, three individual events took place and one relay.
On the women's side, sophomore Nancy Claire Smith (Franklin, Tenn.) placed seventh with a time of 5:05.26, just less than two seconds off her own school record.
In the 200 Individual Medley, sophomore Amanda Henderson (Bartlett, Tenn.) finished the finals in eighth-place with a time of 2:07.51, which would have been the season's quickest time if not for freshman Maggie Melhorn (Knoxviile, Tenn.). Melhorn finished the event in 11th-place but set the season's best time of 2:07.05.
The lone relay team for the women placed third in the 400 Medley Relay with a new school record. The team consisting of Henderson, Melhorn, Burnett and sophomore Samantha Starnes (Knoxville, Tenn.) swam the relay in 3:48.74.
For the men's team, the 50 Free was the highlight of the evening. Three Eagles qualified for the Finals race. Sophomore Samuel Schechter (Knoxville, Tenn.) finished third in the event with a school record setting time of 20.26 and clinched a provisional "B"-time. Senior Ben Young (Morristown, Tenn.) and freshman Paul Ungur (Baia Mare, Romania) finished sixth and seventh, respectively.
Sophomore Tommy Bourgeois (Kingsport, Tenn.) set a school record in the 500 Free with a time of 4:38.13, which was five-hundredths of a second quicker than the time he swam earlier this season in his home town.
Ungur, senior Pierre-Olivier Dionne (Rimouski, Quebec), Schechter and senior Stephen Parsons (Auburn, Ala.) made up the men's 400 Medley Relay team that set a school record time of 3:19.56 and placed fourth in the event.
"In all honesty, this team is swimming out of its mind," McCord said.
Day three will take place Friday in Charlotte with full results available here. The 200 Free Relay and 400 Individual Medley are just two of the events on the docket.
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