February 27, 2009

MIT Notches Three Swimming Wins, Takes Lead After First Day of NEWMAC Men's Swimming & Diving Championship

NORTON, MA- Behind three event victories, two-time defending New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's swimming & diving championship runner-up Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) took a 32.5-point lead after the first day of the league meet on Friday at Wheaton College's Balfour Natatorium. The Engineers totaled
265 points, three-time defending champ United States Coast Guard Academy stood second with 232.5, while Springfield College occupied third at 175. The three-day competition continues Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

MIT won both of Friday's relays, while sophomore Michael Dobson (Houston, TX/Cypress Falls) took first in the 500-yard freestyle by recording an NCAA Championship B cut. During the 200 free relay, seniors Laurent Charpentier (Aigues-Mortes, France/INSA Lyon) and Peter Wellings (Palm Harbor, FL/Palm Harbor University) and juniors Luke Cummings (Sturgeon Bay, WI/Sturgeon Bay) and Jeff Zhou (Buffalo, NY/Phillips Academy) reached provisional status for the national meet in both their finals victory and in the trials, when they set pool and NEWMAC meet and open records.

For the winning 400-yard medley relay foursome, Charpentier sided with junior Rastislav Racz (Bratislava, Slovakia/Metodova) and freshmen Brett Boval (Coto De Caza, CA/Tesoro) and Tim Stumbaugh (Loveland, CO/Mountain View). The quartet set pool and NEWMAC meet and open records while reaching a B cut.

Springfield won the other two events contested on Friday, setting pool records in each. During the 50 free, senior Greg Pearsall (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) also surpassed a conference championship mark while automatically qualifying for the NCAA Championship. Freshman Brian Way (Beachwood, NJ/Toms River South) established meet and open marks while notching a B cut in the 200-yard individual medley.

Coast Guard turned in five B cuts, including from junior Timothy Berry (Houston, TX) in a second-place 200 IM showing and in the 100-yard backstroke, which occurred during the first leg of the 400 medley relay. Berry, seniors Jim Okorn (Euclid, OH) and Jack Sauve (Colorado Springs, CO), and sophomore Daniel Alley (Lacombe, LA) combined for a B cut during a runner-up 400 medley relay race, while Okorn notched another during a second-place 50 free finish. The quartet of Okorn and freshmen Bryan Andrews (Lambertville, MI), Daniel Beshoar (Kildeer, IL) and Johnson Knox (Starkville, MS) turned the feat in the 200 free
relay.

Numerous additional NCAA B cuts were met on Friday, including: Clark University freshman Ryan Garr (Kingston, RI/South Kingstown) in the 100 back during the opening leg of the 400 medley relay; MIT's Cummings and Zhou during the 50 free, though Cummings' opening 50 leg of the 200 free relay ended up being even faster; the Engineers' Stumbaugh during the opening 100 back portion of the 400 medley relay; and Springfield's second-place 200 free relay, comprised of Pearsall, juniors Ryan Mackstutis (Torrington, CT/Torrington) and Matt Manoni (Brookfield, CT/Brookfield), and sophomore Andrew Blakesley (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield).

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Team Standings
1. MIT                                265 points
2. Coast Guard Academy   232.5 points
3. Springfield College 175 points
4. WPI                         118 points
5. Clark University             96 points
6. Wheaton College    86 points
7. Babson College             78.5 points

1st Place (All-NEWMAC 1st Team)
200 freestyle relay                                    MIT        1:22.69 B
          Luke Cummings, Jeff Zhou, Peter Wellings, Laurent Charpentier
500 freestyle             Michael Dobson MIT        4:35.56 B
200 IM                       Brian Way                Springfield   1:54.35 B
50 freestyle               Greg Pearsall           Springfield   20.46 A
400 medley relay                                       MIT              3:21.14 B
          Tim Stumbaugh, Rastislav Racz, Brett Boval, Laurent Charpentier

2nd Place (All-NEWMAC 2nd Team)
200 freestyle relay                                    Springfield    1:23.08 B
          Greg Pearsall, Ryan Mackstutis, Andrew Blakesley, Matt Manoni
500 freestyle             Andrew Blakesley     Springfield   4:41.12
200 IM                       Timothy Berry     Coast Guard  1:55.00 B
50 freestyle               Jim Okorn                 Coast Guard 20.66 B
400 medley relay                                       Coast Guard 3:26.28 B
                 Timothy Berry, Jack Sauve, Daniel Alley, Jim Okorn

A - Denotes NCAA Division III National Championship qualifying A standard (automatic)
B - Denotes NCAA Division III National Championship qualifying B standard (provisional)