2017 NAIA National Championships: Women’s Finals Day 3 Live Recap

2017 NAIA National Championships – Women’s Meet

• Dates: Wednesday, March 2 – Saturday, March 5, 2017; prelims 9 am, finals 5 pm
• Location: Columbus Aquatic Center, Columbus, Georgia (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending Champions: Olivet Nazarene (results)
• Psych Sheet
• Men’s Fan Guide
• Live Results: Available here
• Live Video: Available here
• Championship Central

200 Medley Relay – Finals

• Meet Record: 1:41.40 – 2012 Fresno (Pacific Coffman/Malthaner/Swanson/Brown)

1. Olivet Nazarene: 1:44.25 (Deirdre Gerke, Andrea Vega, Amanda Moran, Leanne Latocha)
2. SCAD: 1:45.12 (Julie Henninger, Sara Lacusky, Cadie Crow, Julie Woody)
3. Biola: 1:46.57 (Rachel Stinchcomb, Emily Silzel, Lisa Tixier, Rebecca Brandt)

Like in yesterday’s 200 free relay finals, Olivet Nazarene didn’t have any of the four fastest swimmers on their team, but overall consistency and depth brought them the national championship in the 200 medley. Deirdre Gerke (27.28), Andrea Vega (28.67), Amanda Moran (25.07), and Leanne Latocha (23.23) teamed up for 1:44.25 to outswim SCAD by nearly a second.

SCAD’s silver medal performance was boosted by senior and NAIA silver medalist in the individual 50 Julie Woody‘s 22.24 anchor leg. Julie Henninger (27.50) led off for the Bees, followed by Sara Lacusky on breaststroke (29.54) and Cadie Crow on fly (25.84).

50 free national champion junior Lisa Tixier of Biola switched to fly for this relay (she comes into tonight’s 100 fly final ranked first) and pulled out a 23.90 split. Also swimming for Biola’s third place 1:46.57 relay were Rachel Stinchcomb (back: 27.70), Emily Silzel (breast: 30.63), and Rebecca Brandt (free: 24.34).

Other big splits came from Xiomara Getrouw, who led off St. Andrews with a 26.20 50 back, and Lindsay Wilson’s Ronnie Borders, who went 28.58 in her flying-start 50 fly.

The College of Idaho DQed for an early takeoff.

400 IM – Finals

• Meet Record: 4:24.03 – 1993 Laurette Hakansson

1. Tiffany Ray, ONU: 4:25.90
2. Rebecca Justus, SCAD: 4:28.83
3. Christina Klouda, Cumberlands: 4:30.35

Olivet Nazarene senior, yesterday’s 200 IM national champ, and 400 IM defending champion Tiffany Ray won the 400 IM by nearly a four-second margin, boosted by a 1:05.55 backstroke leg. Second went to last season’s third-place finisher Rebecca Justus, a junior out of SCAD, with 4:28.83. Christina Klouda of the Cumberlands, last season’s sixth-place finisher, was third in 4:30.35.

Olivet Nazarene senior Hayley Ronci came up fourth in 4:31.90, followed by defending champion Courtney Hayward of Brenau in her senior season (4:31.95).

100 Fly – Finals

• Meet Record: 54.25 – 3/6/2015 Christine Tixier

1. Lisa Tixier, Biola: 53.70*
2. Amanda Moran, Olivet Nazarene: 55.82
3. Lydia Reinhardt, SCAD: 57.44

Lisa Tixier set a new NAIA meet record in the 100 fly with 53.70, taking down the record by her sister and former teammate Christine Tixier back in 2015, a 54.25.

Lisa Tixier, a Biola junior, split 25.14 and 28.56 to add up to her record-winning time. Her swim outdid the previous record by over half a second.

Amanda Moran of Olivet Nazarene was well ahead of the rest of the field in second with 55.82. SCAD grabbed third and fourth place points, with strong performances from Lydia Reinhardt (57.44) and Cadie Crow (57.95).

200 Free – Finals

• Meet Record: 1:49.58 – 2011 Alex Peters

1. Abigail Richey, SCAD: 1:52.21
2. Rachel Munschauer, Keiser: 1:52.40
3. Julie Henninger, SCAD: 1:52.58

In a very tight race for the 200 fly championship, SCAD sophomore Abigail Richey‘s back-half strategy led her to defend her NCAA title. Richey split 26.19/28.48/28.80/28.74 to end up with 1:52.21 and win the event by .19.

Second place went to Keiser freshman Rachel Munschauer in 1:52.40. This was the first major finish of the meet for the Keiser women, who are newcomers onto the NAIA scene. SCAD sophomore Julie Henniger was just behind the duo for third in 1:52.58.

Third went to Olivet Nazarene junior Deirdre Gerke in 1:53.23, and Morningside junior Suzanna Gonzalez was fifth in 1:54.08.

100 Breast – Finals

• Meet Record: 1:02.09 – 2012 Catherine Duquet

1. Sara Lacusky, SCAD: 1:03.25
2. Andrea Vega, Olivet Nazarene: 1:04.31
3. Ronni Borders, Lindsey Wilson: 1:04.62

A trio of sophomores finished in the top three in the women’s 100 breast, led by SCAD’s Sara Lacusky, who finished over a second ahead of the field in 1:03.25. She split 29.76/33.49. Second place went to defending runner-up Andrea Vega of Olivet Nazarene in 1:04.31. Both were able to overtake defending champion Ronni Borders of Lindsey Wilson, who put up a strong first 50 (29.38) to lead the field, but then faded with a 35.24 second half. Borders was third with 1:04.62.

Though SCAD didn’t place any swimmers in the top three, they secured major points in this event, placing their swimmers in the fourth through sixth slots. Freshman Emily Rozar was fourth in 1:06.47, followed by her freshman classmate Emilia Rittenbach in 1:06.82 and their junior teammate Alle Ragland in 1:06.88.

100 Back – Finals

• Meet Record: 52.76 – 2012 Cheyenne Coffman

1. Amanda Moran, Olivet Nazarene: 55.19
2. Julie Woody, SCAD: 55.70
3. Megan Monahan, Columbia: 57.35

Olivet Nazarene junior Amanda Moran defended her national title in the women’s 100 back, winning the event by half a second in 55.19. Moran pulled off nearly even splits (a crazy feat for a 100 back), with just over half a second between her first and second 50: 27.26/27.93. SCAD senior Julie Woody finished second in 55.70, with a very fast first 50 26.68, followed by a 29.02 second 50. The duo exhibit opposite ends of the spectrum on front-half, back-half 100 backstroke strategy.

Third was Columbia senior Megan Monahan in 57.35, swimming Columbia’s first major finish of the meet.

Team Scores through Night 3:

1. Olivet Nazarene University 438
2. SCAD 434
3. Biola University 257
4. Brenau University 203
5. Lindsey Wilson College 172
6. University of the Cumberlands 161
7. College of Idaho 141
8. Lindenwood U- Belleville 90
9. Columbia College 87.5
10. St Andrews University 82
11. West Virginia University-Tech 74
12. Asbury University 67
13. Keiser University 57
14. Union College 48
15. Morningside College 47
16. Loyola New Orleans 44
17. Soka University 38
18. Thomas University 29
19. Wayland Baptist University 18
20. Campbellsville University 10
21. Life University 5.5
22. Tabor College Bluejays 4
23. Milligan College 2