Feb. 29, 2008
PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Navy's team of 10 women's swimmers and divers ended the opening day of the ECAC Open Championship in eighth place with 72 points. The three-day event is being contested at Trees Pool on the Pittsburgh campus and includes a field of 25 women's teams.
"It was a good first day for us," said Navy head coach John Morrison. "It is always tough to come back after just finishing a three-day meet to get ready for another one, but everyone performed well today. We came out with a lot of fight this morning and had an even better evening."
The evening of finals began with Navy diver Katie Griffin (Sr., Ellicott City, Md.) placing second to Rider's Amanda Burke by 18 points on the three meter. Burke totaled 305.50 points to win the title, with Griffin finishing with a total score of 287.55 points. Additionally for Navy, Desiree' Robison (Jr., Tucson, Ariz.) placed fifth in the final with 232.50 points.
"As they have done all year, it was another strong day for Katie and Desiree'," said Morrison."
Navy's 200 freestyle relay team was then narrowly edged by Marist for the victory in the consolation final of the event. The Red Foxes posted a winning time of 1:40.77, with Navy's foursome of Alli Warwick (Fr., Lansdale, Pa.), Tessa Snow (Fr., Hamlin, N.Y.), Rachel Gray (Sr., Latrobe, Pa.) and Lauren Milliron (Jr., Richmond, Va.) finishing in second place with a time of 1:40.87.
A pair of Mids advanced out of the morning trial heats and into the evening session of the 200 individual medley, with Natalie Albertson (Fr., St. Paul, Minn.) competing in the championship final and Snow in the consolation final. Albertson would finish in seventh place in her race with a time of 2:11.11, with Snow placing fourth in her event with a clocking of 2:11.66.
"It was great to see Natalie and Tessa not only advance in the finals, but also have great swims at night," said Morrison.
The night ended for the Mids by seeing its 400 medley relay team of Albertson, Allison Aichele (So., Middletown, Md.), Cate Sheerin (Fr., College Park, Md.) and Warwick finish in fourth place in the event's consolation final with a time of 4:07.26.
"The performance of our relay team was a great way to end the day," said Morrison. "We dropped five seconds from our time this morning, so everyone goes into Saturday with a lot of confidence and the knowledge that we can compete with the many talented teams at the meet."
Navy Results
3-M Diving
Prelims -- Katie Griffin, first, 251.60; Desiree' Robison, sixth, 210.50
Finals -- Griffin, second, 287.55; Robison, fifth, 232.50
200 Freestyle Relay
Prelims -- Navy, 11th, 1:42.02 (Tessa Snow, Rachel Gray, Lauren Milliron, Alli Warwick)
Consolation Final -- Navy, second (10th), 1:40.87 (Warwick, Snow, Gray, Milliron)
500 Freestyle Prelims -- Clare McKenna, 31st, 5:20.88
200 Individual Medley
Prelims -- Natalie Albertson, sixth, 2:11.14; Tessa Snow, 12th, 2:13.10; Allison Aichele, 20th, 2:15.87; Cate Sheerin, 25th, 2:17.31
Championship Final -- Albertson, seventh, 2:11.11
Consolation Final -- Snow, fourth (12th), 2:11.66
50 Freestyle
Prelims -- Rachel Gray, 26th, 25.34; Lauren Milliron, 36th, 25.71; Allison Aichele, 38th, 25.89
400 Medley Relay
Prelims -- Navy, 16th, 4:12.23 (Natalie Albertson, Allison Aichele, Cate Sheerin, Alli Warwick)
Consolation Final -- Navy, fourth (12th), 4:07.26 (Albertson, Aichele, Sheerin, Warwick)
