KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the second straight season, Carson-Newman swimming impressed Division I talent following the University of Tennessee Invitational at the Jones Aquatic Center.
C-N was the only Division II school in the meet as the Eagles went toe-to-toe with the likes of ranked opponents in Duke, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Other Division I schools in attendance included Denver, Marshall, and Penn as Jordan Taylor's troops broke numerous school records along the way.
Caleb Howell churned in a time of 1:58.72 in the 200 breaststroke setting a new school record, a mark he previously held from last season at 1:59.66. The Easley, S.C. native finished fifth in the event, the highest for any C-N swimmer in a final on the weekend, topping Division 1 swimmers Judd Howard (Duke), Jarel Dillard (Tennessee) and Hayden Harlow (Penn State). Howell moves up to fourth in the nation making the leap from No. 17. His time also qualifies as a 'B' standard.
Freshman Meredith Ginn continued her strong week with a season-best swim in the 200 breaststroke recording a time of 2:21.63. The time is currently third in program history and 23rd in the nation.
Andrei Unger led all C-N swimmers in the 200-yard backstroke finals with a 12th place finish and a new season-best time of 1:48.45. Unger's mark is also good for No. 9 in Division II and checks in as a 'B' standard qualifier. The mark is currently second all-time in the program. Fellow freshman Kodee Eads (19th) also turned in a season-best time at 1:52.50 followed up by Carson Knox's best at 1:55.22 (21st).
Lisa Postma earned a new personal season-best in the 100 freestyle after turning in a time of 50.42 seconds which is second-best in the school's history, fifth in the nation, and qualifies as a 'B' standard. CJ Jensen joined the club by posting a new personal season-best swim in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:05.74. Her time is third in program history and No. 25 in D2.
C-N's foursome of Mary Northcutt, Postma, Elly Culp, and Yulia Fomina shattered their previous season-low mark in 400-yard freestyle relay (3:27.19) chipping off over seven seconds in a 12th-place finish. That swim is currently fifth in the nation.
Freshman Matthew George also continued a stellar weekend at UT with a season-best time in the 200-yard butterfly at 1:48.55. His time is 8th in D2 and a 'B' standard qualifier. The time is also a new program record by nearly two seconds previously held by Ryan Burcham at 1:50.52, a mark that stood since 2015.
C-N's group of Nikola Tadic, Seth Hughes, Jonny Goss, and Chad Andoljsek grabbed a 12th-place finish and 12 points with a time of 3:01.63 in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
The next meet for Taylor's group will begin in the new year when they head to the University of Indianapolis Invite on Jan. 12.
Women's Final Scores:
1). Tennessee 1341.5
2). Duke 1018
3). Penn State 557.5
4). Denver 537
5). Penn 288
6). Carson-Newman 128
Men's Final Scores:
1). Tennessee 1227
2. Penn 728
3. Duke 632
4. Denver 590
5. Penn State 563
6. Carson-Newman 164
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