Feb. 21, 2009
WASHINGTON - The American University men's and women's swimming and diving teams concluded competition at the 2009 Patriot League Championships on Saturday where the women's team placed fourth, marking the team's highest finish at the meet since 2002. Sophomore Dorothy Isaacs set her third school record of the weekend with a third-place finish in the 100 freestyle as the Eagles posted a combined seven AU top 10 times.
Isaacs, who had already set the AU record in both the 50 free and 100 breast over the weekend, earned her third school record in the 100 free with a third-place finish. The sophomore advanced to the finals with a time of 50.72 in the preliminary heat early in the day to break her own record of 51.25 which she set last year. Isaacs posted a time of 50.82 in the finals to take third place.
Sophomore Eleanor Clay took eighth place in the 200 breast. Clay swam a personal record of 2:21.22 in the prelims to advance to the finals, marking the third fastest time in AU history. Clay returned to the pool in the finals to post a time of 2:21.79 to take eighth. Freshman Shelby Legel and junior Michelle Holleran also posted AU top-10 times in the event, placing 11th and 14th overall, respectively. Legel's time of 2:25.53 is the eighth fastest time in school history and Holleran's time of 2:27.33 in the prelims is the ninth fastest in school history.
Sophomore Mary-Margaret Lopez earned a ninth-place finish in the 200 fly. Lopez swam a 2:08.51 in the prelims and then swam a 2:03.92 in the "B" finals to take ninth. Lopez's finals time moves her to second place on AU's all-time top 10 list.
Freshman Alexandra Wessel finished her first conference meet with a 10th-place finish in the 200 back. Wessel earned a spot in the "B" final with a preliminary heat time of 2:05.45 and topped that with a time of 2:04.98 in the evening session. Wessel's time moves her into seventh all-time in school history.
Junior Matt Pelletier was the men's team's top finisher on Saturday, taking 10th in the 200 back. Pelletier swam a 1:52.05 in the prelims to earn a spot in the "B" finals where he posted a personal record time of 1:51.56 to move to the seventh spot on AU's all-time top 10 list.
The women's team finished in fourth-place overall with 315.5 points, marking the team's highest finish at the meet since taking third in 2002. The men's team took seventh place with 141 points.
