Men's Championship: Day 1 recap
2006 NCAA Division III Men’s
Swimming & Diving Championships
hosted by Carleton College, University of Minnesota Aquatic Center, March 16-18, 2006
Day 1 Championship Finals Recap
**Live Results** - updated after each heat
Minneapolis – Kenyon College, gunning for its 27th consecutive NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming and Diving title, rode a pair of relay victories and Andrejs Duda’s individual title in the 200-yard individual medley to take a commanding lead in the team race at the national meet at the University of Minnesota’s Aquatic Center.
Kenyon amassed 158 points, with Denison trailing in second place with 116 place. The Lords’ national championship streak is the longest in any sport in NCAA Division I, II or III history. Emory is third at 86 points, followed by Wheaton (Ill.) in fourth with 79, Johns Hopkins fifth at 77 and Washington University sixth with 75. Local schools St. Olaf (8th, 59 poionts) and Gustavus Adolphus (10th, 44.5 points) are inside the top 10 as well.
Duda easily won the 200 IM in 1:48.64, by far the fastest time this season, his personal best and the third-fastest Division III time ever. He swam on both relays, leading the 200-yard freestyle relay to a time of 1:21.68, as they edged Grove City College by 0.31 seconds, highlighted by senior Jim Berger’s third leg of 20.11. Duda now owns eight individual national titles and 21 overall, including relays. His individual national title total is the second most in Division III history, trailing only UC-San Diego’s Travis Miller’s nine titles from 1991-94.
The Lords capped the evening by winning the 400-yard medley relay, as Duda, Davis Zarins, Matthew Harris and Berger combined for a 3:19.66, the nation’s fastest time. It marked Kenyon’s 16th win in the last 19 years in the 200 freestyle relay and its seventh straight victory in the 400 medley relay.
Emory junior Tim Newton won the 500-yard freestyle by 0.15 seconds over Denison junior Bryce Peterson in 4:26.00. Washington University’s Mike Slavik and Eric Triebe finished one-two in the 50-yard freestyle, as Slavik finished in 20.46 to Triebe’s 20.60. It marked the first Division III men’s swimming or diving title for a Bear student-athlete. Mike Salmon of Hamilton College won the one-meter diving event with 526.05 points, edging defending champion Mike Shaw of Springfield who finished second at 507.55 points.
Action in the three-day event, hosted by Carleton College, continues on Friday, March 17.
