ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Scott Callander earned a school record in the men's 100-yard butterfly during morning qualifying heats on Friday, leading American University performances at the Patriot League Swimming and Diving Championships.
Callander, a junior from McLean, Va., went 48.49 to qualify fifth for the championship final later Friday. The previous school record, set 20 years ago, was 48.77 by Johan Setterberg. Callander was closing on the NCAA 'B' mark of 48.29, which would put him in the running for qualifying for NCAA Nationals.
Callander went on to place fifth in the evening final of the 100 fly, finishing in 48.54.
He was one of four Eagles who qualified for second swims on Friday, three of whom were freshmen.
Matt Bean placed 14th in the men's 100 backstroke, with Natalie Hamlet finishing 16th in the 400 individual medley and Lily Koenig placing 16th in the women's 100 back.
The AU men and women were each in eighth place in the team standings, the women with 101 points and the men with 100. The host Midshipmen led both standings, leading Army West Point by more than 150 points on both sides.
Saturday's final day of the PL Championships begins with qualifying heats at 10 a.m., with the final session scheduled for 6 p.m.
NOTES
* Hamlet went 4:33.20 in the 400 individual medley prelims, trimming her season-best time and lowering the best mark by an Eagle this season. She is 11th on AU's all-time list.
* Hamlet improved her time to 4:32.04 in the 400 IM final, finishing 16th. Koenig also placed 16th, going 57.31 in the 100 backstroke final.
* Freshman Alex Feys had AU's best mark in the 100 fly, going 56.40 to just miss Friday's consolation final. Her mark moved her from fifth to fourth on AU's top-16 list. Sophomore Emily Gill cut almost three seconds off her season-best at 57.92, earning her first mark on a top-16 list, moving into 13th. Lauren Anderson also had a season-best in the 100 fly.
* Freshmen Serra Aydan (1:56.04) and Ally Bachart (2:01.23) had season-bests in the 200 free prelims, with Maddie Fazen having a season-best 1:15.78 in the 100 breast.
* Ellen Johnson moved from 16th to 12th on AU's all-time list with a 58.77 swim in the 100 backstroke. Gill also had a strong effort in the 100 back, going 59.73 to cut nearly three seconds off her season-best.
* Sam Fromkin finished 19th in the prelims of the men's 400 IM, moving into 16th all-time at AU at 4:07.54.
* Liam Bond had a season-best 55.01 in the 100 fly, while both Liam Riebling (1:44.06) and Rohan Singh (1:53.25) had their best of the season in the 200 free.
* Bean went 51.59 in the 100 back in the morning, qualifying 15th for Friday's evening session. His mark, the best by an Eagle this season, moved him into 12th at AU. Giancarlo Payamps, just missing a second swim, went 51.95 for a two-second season-best and 16th on AU's list. Blaine Johnson also had a season-best in the 100 back (59.16). Bean moved up one spot from qualifying to the evening swim, placing 14th overall in 51.81.
* Diver Connor Chidsey reached his second consolation final of the championships, placing 14th in Friday's 1-meter competition after posting a 155.60 in the prelims.
* Ellen Johnson had a season-best 24.49 in the opening leg of the 200 freestyle relay, helping the Eagles finish seventh in the best relay swim of the year at 1:36.08. Alex Brosvik, Abby Longstaff and Shannon Exley rounded out the quartet.
* Payamps went a season-best 22.32 in his 50 freestyle leg of the 200 relay, leading Callander, Fromkin and Riebling to a 1:26.17 that was the Eagles' best mark of the year.
