February 28, 2009

MIT Begins to Pull Away From Field in Day Two of NEWMAC Men's Swimming & Diving Championship

NORTON, MA- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) began to pull away from the seven-team field through day two of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Men's Swimming & Diving Championship, as the Engineers were victorious in five of the eight finals events on Saturday at Wheaton College's Balfour Natatorium. MIT extended its lead on three-time defending champion United States Coast Guard Academy, with the Engineers tallying 677 points to Coast Guard's 534.5. Springfield College remains in third with 415 points.

MIT senior Laurent Charpentier (Aigues-Mortes, France/INSA Lyon) played a role in three swimming event victories, topping the competition with an NCAA Championship provisional qualifying time in the 200-yard freestyle while swimming legs on the winning 200-yard medley and 800-yard freestyle relay teams. Charpentier joined juniors Luke Cummings (Sturgeon Bay, WI/Sturgeon Bay), Rastislav Racz (Bratislava, Slovakia/Metodova) and Jeff Zhou (Buffalo, NY/Phillips Academy) to capture the 200 medley relay. To cap the evening, he anchored the winning 800 free relay, which consisted of senior Peter Wellings (Palm Harbor, FL/Palm Harbor University), sophomore Michael Dobson (Houston, TX/Cypress Falls) and freshman Andrew Pierson (Lexington, KY/Paul Laurence Dunbar). In addition to reaching a provisional time, the 800 free quartet also broke the NEWMAC Championship standard.

Racz picked up an NCAA Championship automatic qualifying time while defending his title in the 100-yard breaststroke event. He also broke his own NEWMAC Championship record, as three Engineers placed among the top five in the race. Freshman Tim Stumbaugh (Loveland, CO/Mountain View) rounded out MIT's top placements with a national time in the 100-yard backstroke. Despite three Engineers finishing in the 400-yard individual medley's top five, Springfield first-year Brian Way (Beachwood, NJ/Toms River South) prevailed while eclipsing an NCAA provisional time.

Later in the night, Springfield dominated the one-meter dive competition by virtue of capturing the three highest point totals, including an outstanding performance from sophomore Brian Sobel (Stratford, CT/Bunnell), who smashed the NCAA standard as well as the NEWMAC Championship mark. Junior teammate Matt Fitzgerald (Pelham, NH/Lowell) also surpassed an NCAA mark finishing as the runner up. Coast Guard senior Jim Okorn (Euclid, OH) touched first with a provisional time in the 100-yard butterfly.

MIT's Stumbaugh and Zhou met provisional marks in the 400-yard individual medley and 100-yard butterfly events, respectively, with each taking second, as did Springfield's Way in the 800-yard freestyle relay. Way sided with seniors Anthony Bruno (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) and Greg Pearsall (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) and sophomore Andrew Blakesley (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield). Rounding out the second-place finishers, each in provisional times, were Springfield's Pearsall in the 200-yard freestyle, Coast Guard junior Timothy Berry (Houston, TX) in the 100-yard backstroke and Springfield junior Ryan Mackstutis (Torrington, CT/Torrington) in the 100-yard breaststroke. Coast Guard's 200-yard medley relay foursome was the runner up in a national time behind Berry, Okorn, senior Jack Sauve (Colorado Springs, CO) and freshman Johnson Knox (Starkville, MS).

For complete results, click here.

Team Standings
1. MIT                                     677 points
2. Coast Guard Academy        534.5 points
3. Springfield College              4315 points
4. WPI                                     252 points
5. Wheaton College                239 points
6. Clark University                   225 points
7. Babson College                   181.5 points

1st Place (All-NEWMAC 1st Team)
200 medley relay                                      MIT             1:32.45
     Jeff Zhou, Rastislav Racz, Laurent Charpentier, Luke Cummings
400 IM                 Brian Way               Springfield 4:06.13 B
100 butterfly       Jim Okorn                Coast Guard     49.87 B
200 freestyle      Laurent Charpentier      MIT             1:40.69 B
100 breast         Rastislav Racz          MIT              54.99 A
100 back            Tim Stumbaugh          MIT                    51.68 B
1M diving           Brian Sobel               Springfield 563.60 A
800 freestyle relay                                   MIT                    6:50.96 B
     Andrew Pierson, Peter Wellings, Michael Dobson, Laurent Charpentier

2nd Place (All-NEWMAC 2nd Team)
200 medley relay                                     Coast Guard      1:33.51
     Timothy Berry, Jack Sauve, Jim Okorn, Johnson Knox
400 IM              Tim Stumbaugh               MIT               4:06.85 B
100 butterfly     Jeff Zhou                         MIT               50.75 B
200 freestyle    Greg Pearsall                  Springfield          1:41.89 B
100 breast       Ryan Mackstutis              Springfield          58.94
100 back          Timothy Berry                  Coast Guard       52.21
1M diving          Matt Fitzgerald                Springfield          482.15 A
800 freestyle relay                                   Springfield          6:53.35 B
     Anthony Bruno, Andrew Blakesley, Brian Way, Greg Pearsall

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