Swimming and Diving Sweeps Four-Team Meet to Open Season

Saturday, October 1

Radford, Va.

TBA

James Madison University

211

Marshall

Swimming and Diving Sweeps Four-Team Meet to Open Season

10/1/2011 11:45:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

RADFORD, Va., Oct. 1, 2011 – James Madison won 12 of 16 events, including two individual event wins each by junior Anna Susko (Roxbury, N.J./Roxbury) and sophomore Kelsey Holmgaard (Roanoke, Va./George Mason), to sweep a four-team meet over Radford, Marshall and Campbell at the Dedmon Center Natatorium in Radford, Va., on Saturday.

JMU defeated Marshall 211-89, Campbell 236-62 and Radford 253-47 to open the season 3-0 in dual meets. Marshall went 2-1 on the day with wins over Radford and Campbell while Campbell was 1-2 and Radford 0-3.

“Our biggest lesson was learning how to compete as a team and I think we are off to a good start,” head swimming and diving coach Samantha Smith said. “Everyone contributed to the team's success today and we did a great job working as one unit.”

Susko finished first in the 100-yard backstroke as well as the 200-yard backstroke. She edged Radford's Colleen Miller to win the 100 back in a time of 1:01.67 while adding a first-place finish in the 200 in 2:10.33. Holmgaard made her debut for the Dukes after transferring from George Mason, winning the 200 and 500 freestyles by touching the wall in 1:53.70 and 5:06.67, respectively. She also swam the anchor leg in the 200 freestyle relay, helping her team win in a time of 1:39.99.

The JMU divers dominated the two diving events, claiming the top six positions on the three-meter board and six of the top seven positions on the one-meter board. Junior Kimberly Helfrich (Fort Belvoir, Va./West Springfield) scored a 294.35 to win the one-meter and a 273.05 to take second in the three-meter. Senior Nicole Jotso (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) finished first in the three-meter (286.85) and second in the one-meter (273.45). Freshman Alex Savage (Carrolton, Texas/L.D. Bell) made her Dukes' debut, claiming third in each event.

Other individual event winners for JMU include freshman Aimee Hooper (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) in the 1,000-yard freestyle, sophomore Shannon Dubay (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor) in the 50 free, freshman Susanne Gingher (Boalsburg, Pa./State College Area) in the 100 free and senior Melissa Helock (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains Fanwood) in the 200 individual medley.

Madison teams finished first and second in both the 200-yard medley and the 200 freestyle relay events. Senior Lauren Broussard (La Place, La./Mount Caramel Academy) and junior Caroline Burns (Severna Park, Md./Severn School) combined with Gingher and fellow freshman Sin Hye Won (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) to win t