CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Carson-Newman women's swim team achieved its highest-ever finish at the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships with a fourth-place finish after Saturday night's final races at Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center in Charlotte.
Three conference championships highlight the week for the women as they finish with 866 points. The men claimed one conference title and finished in sixth-place.
"We are honored to swim in such a talented conference," coach Paige McCord said. "The team exceeded our expectations in every way. We are proud to represent Carson-Newman. Thank you to all our fans for encouraging us and tonight is a great night to be an Eagle."
In total, seven school records fell on the evening.
For the women, two events finished with Eagles claiming two of the top-eight spots.
In the 200 Back, sophomore Amanda Henderson (Bartlett, Tenn.) and freshman Margaret Stansberry (Knoxville, Tenn.) finished third and fourth respectively. Henderson missed her school record pace by one second with a time of 2:02.45.
The 200 Breast finished with freshman Maggie Melhorn (Knoxville, Tenn.) in the second spot as she claimed a time of 2:18.04, which obliterated her former school record by six seconds. Sophomore Nancy Claire Smith (Franklin, Tenn.) placed fifth.
Freshman Lexy Raybon (Sarasota, Fla.) placed in the top-five in two events and she set two new school records. Raybon opened the evening with a fourth-place showing in the Mile with a time of 17:12.36; she set that school record by a monstrous 30 seconds. In the 200 Fly, Raybon swam the event in 2:04.65 and finished fourth.
Sophomore Samantha Starnes (Knoxville, Tenn.) finished 12th in the sprint event 100 Free and set a new school record of 52.54.
The women capped off the event with a fourth-place showing in the 400 Free Relay. Sophomore Natalie Burnett (Sevierville, Tenn.) combined with Smith, Stansberry and Starnes to swim a school record setting time of 3:28.51.
For the men, freshman Paul Ungur (Baia Mare, Romania) had the strongest showing by finishing the 200 Back with a time of 1:46.59 and in second-place.
Two Eagles finished in the top-six in the 100 Free. Seniors Stephen Parsons (Auburn, Ala.) and Ben Young (Morristown, Tenn.) swam the first two sub-45 second swims in school history. Parsons placed fifth with a time of 44.84 and Young finished in sixth with a 44.94 time.
Senior Pierre-Olivier Dionne (Rimouski, Quebec) set an individual best as he finished the 200 Breast in 16th-place in 2:09.16.
Now, the Eagles await their fate in regards to the NCAA Championships to be held in Indianapolis next month. Burnett and Ungur are assured spots in the meet due to the "A"-times both swimmers have achieved, while others have times that put them in contention for a spot.
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