Sophomore Sean Smith (Oklahoma City, OK) set a Rutgers school record on Saturday
on his way to a first place showing in the 1000-yard freestyle. He finished
the event in 9:17.25, finishing more than nine seconds ahead of the second place
competitor. Smith also placed second in the 500-yard freestyle event with a
time of 4:32.57 and third in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:53.29.
The men’s 200-yard medley relay team of sophomore Josh Van Norman (San
Diego, CA), senior Michael Kush (Wescosville, PA), sophomore Aaron Inkrott (Bartlesville,
OK) and junior Matt Campbell (Haddonfield, NJ) finished second, clocking a time
of 1:31.93, an NCAA “A” qualifying time. Campbell took first place
honors in the 50-yard freestyle, swimming the event in 20.41.
Sophomore Ivan Morse (Pleasanton, CA) swam the 200-yard freestyle event in 1:41.08 to register a third place showing for the Scarlet Knights.
Van Norman placed second in the 200-yard backstroke, swimming the event in 1:51.97. He placed third in the men’s 100-yard backstroke, recording a time of 51.24. In his first meet with the Scarlet Knights since joining the team during the holiday break, sophomore Johnathan Stinson (North Cape May, NJ) finished fifth in both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke events .
In the 200-yard breaststroke, junior Nathan Ilnicki (Crescent, PA) finished fourth with a time of 2:08.94.
The men’s 400-yard freestyle relay team of Kush, Matt Campbell, Morse and Van Norman recorded a second place showing, swimming the event in 3:05.59, an NCAA A qualifying time.
Freshman Kelly Harrigan (Bristol, CT) highlighted the day for the women, winning two events against the Seminoles and Tar Heels. She took first in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 57.18 while also winning the 200-yard backstroke event with a time of 2:00.48. Freshman Ally Dean (Buffalo, NY) placed fifth in the 100-yard backstroke event for RU.
The women’s 200-yard medley relay team of Harrigan, senior Michelle DeFreese (Rahway, NJ), freshman Katie Kuczmarkski (Wilmington, DE) and sophomore Kelly Roche (Redding, CA) placed first with a time of 1:44.60, an NCAA “A” qualifying time.
DeFreese took first place honors in the 100-yard butterfly, swimming the event in 54.76.
After suffering a broken collarbone during the preseason, senior All-American Erin McIntyre (Broomfield, CO) swam in only her second meet of the season Saturday, placing third in the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:17.13. Junior Elizabeth Carter (West Covina, CA) finished fifth, swimming the event in 10:18.53.
Junior Casmera Wick (Longmont, CO) finished second for RU in the 200-yard freestyle, swimming the event in 1:51.24. She also placed fourth in the 100-yard freestyle event with a time of 52.21.
Senior Kelly Gerhardstein (Sandusky, OH) placed seventh in both the one-meter and three-meter diving events for the Scarlet Knights.
In the women’s 500-yard freestyle, junior Samantha Caetano (Alameda, CA) registered a second place showing with a time of 5:01.30.
The women’s 400-yard freestyle relay team of Roche, Harrigan, Wick and Caetano placed second with a NCAA “A” qualifying time of 3:30.28.
Rutgers will be back in action next Saturday, Jan. 18 when it hosts BIG EAST foes St. John’s and Seton Hall at 1 p.m. inside the Rutgers Aquatics Center.
