CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Carson-Newman swim team saw multiple swimmers qualify for All-Conference laurels at day three of the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships.
Sophomore Andrei Ungur (Romania) won the 100-yard backstroke 'A' final in 46.7, winning gold and All-Conference honors. The underclassmen set a new program record in the event, passing a mark set by his brother Paul Ungur in the NCAA DII National Championships in 2015.
"He put together a really good race," Carson-Newman coach Jordan Taylor said. "I knew the other night in the relay when he went 47 seconds in the event that he had a chance to break the record."
Senior Ivo Kunzle (Asuncion, Paraguay) finished in 50.39, good enough for eighth in the race.
In the 'B' final of the event, junior Nikola Tadic (Croatia) and freshman Kobe Evans (Morresburg, Tenn.) placed seventh and eighth overall.
Junior CJ Jensen (Copenhagen, Denmark) finished fourth at a mark of 2:05.52 in the 200-yard butterfly. Freshman Rachel Peden placed seventh in 2:05.39.
"It was just behind a lifetime-best and a school record," Taylor said. "There are still some things we could fix up before nationals. This should give her a lot of confidence going toward nationals in a few weeks' time."
Junior Laurel Sankowski took fifth in 2:14.48 in the 'B' final.
Freshman Linda Ungerboeck took seventh in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:04.54 in the 'A' final.
In the 'B' final of the event, senior Regina Zipperer placed twelfth in 5:13.29.
In the men's iteration of the event, sophomore Matt George (Manchester, England) won the 'B' final in 4:31.31.
Senior Mary Northcutt finished eighth in the 100-yard backstroke 'A' final at a time of 56.53.
"That's a national 'B' time so it should be another event she can do at the NCAA DII National Championships," Taylor said. "It was not her best event but still an impressive time."
Ruth Hullette (Newton, S.C.) took first in the 'B' final (Newton, S.C.) at 56.83. It was a lifetime best for the sophomore.
'B' finishers included freshmen Summer Osborne (Clearwater, Fla.) and Natalia Amano (Brazil) who finished sixth and seventh respectively.
Senior Ivo Kunzle (Asuncion, Paraguay) finished eighth in the 'A' final of the 100-yard backstroke for the men.
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Kaile Morgan (Greeneville, Tenn.) won All-Conference honors with a fifth-place finish overall, tapping the wall at 1:02.81. It was a lifetime-best time for the freshman.
"For a freshman to swim that fast and insert herself into the national stage, that was impressive," Taylor said.
In the 'B' final of the event, Meredith Ginn took forth in 1:05.64 while senior Allyson Metcalf placed sixth in a time of 1:06.64.
The men's version of the event saw senior Caleb Howell (Easley, S.C.) win All-Conference laurels by placing forth in 55.37, a lifetime best.
"It was one of the weaker events for him, but he still had a stronger race," Taylor said. "He's not naturally a sprint athlete but it was good to see him perform so well."
Freshman Raphael de Paiva (Sao Paolo, Brazil) finished seventh in 55.94.
The 'B' version of the event saw senior Ryland Darling (Arlington, Tenn.) place first at 56.79. Sophomore Joey Clemmer (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) finished fourth while freshman Roberts Zemturis took sixth. Freshman Kobe Evans (Mooresberg, Tenn.) placed eighth.
The relays consisted of the 800-yard freestyle which saw the men finish second, good enough for an All-Conference honor at 6:35.40.
The team will continue its trek through the conference championships tomorrow morning during the preliminary events at 10:30 a.m.
Be sure to keep up with the Carson-Newman swim team on C-N's social media platforms and on cneagles.com.
