Dukes Down Liberty in Spring Opener

Saturday, January 17

Harrisonburg, Va.

Noon

James Madison University

212

139

Liberty

1/17/2015 5:06:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

HARRISONBURG, Va. - The James Madison swimming and diving team rolled to a 212-139 victory over Liberty at Savage Natatorium as the Dukes kicked off the spring portion of their 2014-15 campaign on Saturday afternoon.

JMU took home victories in 12 of the 19 events, including eight straight at one point, to avenge its loss to the Flames during the fall season.

"From a competition standpoint, I was really happy with how the girls raced today," Head Coach Dane Pedersen said. "They showed improved speed and I think all their hard work is really starting to show. From a training perspective, I'm happy with where we are as a team knowing what work we have left."

The Dukes started the afternoon on the right foot, breaking a pool record at their first opportunity. Sophomore MaryElizabeth Warhol, senior Sin Hye Won, junior Cameron Martin and senior Susanne Gingher clocked a 1:44.42 in the 200 medley relay to open the day.

Won and Gingher were both on the team that set the previous record, as the duo joined Caroline Burns and Catalina Mendieta with a time of 1:44.65.

Junior Kristen Zielinski earned the Dukes' next win in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:52.65, just ahead of junior Camilla Czulada (1:53.50) and freshman Quinn MacMillan (1:53.65), who took second and third, respectively to complete the JMU sweep.

Warhol captured her second win of the afternoon with a 57.16 in the 100 backstroke and Won followed immediately with a victory in the 100 breaststroke in 1:05.02 to kick off an eight-event win streak for the Dukes.

Martin clocked a 2:04.73 in the 200 butterfly immediately before JMU took home its second relay victory in as many chances, as Czulada, junior Carli Molano, Zielinski and Gingher triumphed in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:28.48.

Sophomore Taryn McLaughlin, who had already qualified for the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships on both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards, earned victories in both events on Saturday, tallying 310.05 on 1-meter after notching 333.61 in the 3-meter.

Sophomore Olivia Lehman took second place in the 1-meter (303.67) and third in the 3-meter (305.03) stamping her ticket for the Zone A Championships in both events, while junior Carly Alexander took runner-up honors in the 3-meter (311.25) and third in the 1-meter (296.17) to earn her spot on both boards as well.

After junior Kacy Edsall, Won, Martin and Gingher took first in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:52.04, senior Aimee Hooper earned the Dukes' eighth straight win with a time of 5:06.16 in the 500 freestyle.

Freshman Katie Parker took home a win with a 2:22.83 in the 200 breaststroke before Hooper grabbed her second victory of the afternoon in the 400 IM with a time of 4:37.33.

"The most impressive aspect from today was that the girls competed as a family," Pedersen said. "Our team dynamic is important to us and something we work on daily. The team did a great job having fun, laughing and enjoying being around each. It was awesome to see everyone illustrate the balance of fun and focus throughout the meet. We are at our best when we are together like we were today. I look forward to the challenge of building on today and becoming even a closer family. Our next challenge will be going on the road to not only maintain but build on that dynamic."

The Dukes will be back in the water next weekend when they head to Richmond, Va. for a dual meet against in-state rival Richmond. Action is scheduled to get started at 12 p.m.