MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING

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Swimming Weekly Release

Women Finish Second, Men Take Sixth at Zippy Invitational

UB’s swim teams posted impressive results at the 2007 Zippy Invitational, hosted by the University of Akron. The UB women finished second in the three-day meet with 1,289 points as MAC rival Ohio won the 11-team meet with 1,588.5 points. The UB men placed sixth among the nine squads with 892.5 points as Xavier scored 1,390 points to claim the team title. Nearly every swimmer posted a season-best mark in at least one event during the competition.

Lehner Breaks Backstroke Mark, Wins Three Events

Andrea Lehner

Sophomore Andrea Lehner (Lockport, NY/Orchard Park) had an impressive weekend, scoring three individual wins and was part of two relay victors. On Friday, Lehner set a new meet record in winning the 200-yard individual medley in 2:04.37, breaking the mark of 2:04.69 set by Akron's Danielle Beland at the 2005 meet. She also helped the Bulls to a new school and meet record in the 200-yard freestyle relay as she teamed with Sam Palma (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster), Meghan Lafferty (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) and Jessie Koltz (Chenango Bridge, NY/Chenango Valley) to finish in 1:35.33, cutting nearly a second off the previous meet record (1:36.25) and more than a second off the old UB mark (1:36.47 set in 2002). On Saturday, she shattered the school mark in winning the 100-yard backstroke in 56.27, eclipsing Inger Rooneem's 1998 UB backstroke mark of 56.83 and the meet record of 57.34. Lehner also led off the Bulls' victorious 200-yard medley relay team as UB narrowly missed setting another school record. The foursome of Lehner (backstroke), Ashley Schaffert (Lockport, NY/Lockport) (breaststroke), Palma (butterfly) and Koltz (freestyle) finished in 1:46.20, just four-hundredths of a second shy of the UB school record set in 2000. Lehner also took the grueling 1,650-yard freestyle on Sunday in 17:08.78, eight seconds better than Ohio’s Stacey Huber (17:16.53).

Divers Win Three of Four Events, Set Records

Michael McDowell

UB’s divers had a strong showing over the weekend as Michael McDowell (Rush, NY/Rush Henrietta) broke his own meet mark on the three-meter board. McDowell scored 335.65 points for his six dives in the final round to eclipse the mark of 332.40 he posted at last year's meet for the pool and meet record. It is the third consecutive year that a UB men's diver has set the pool record. Cassidy Lynch set the record at the 2005 event. McDowell also broke Lynch’s meet mark to win the one-meter event with 303.05 points. Meili Carpenter (Boulder, CO/Fairview) scored a victory for the Bulls, taking the women's one-meter diving event with a six-dive total of 283.45 points in the finals. She placed second on the three-meter board on Saturday night with 264.45 points in her six dives, second to Akron's Kathryn Carter (319.60).

Vander Zalm, Ruske Also Post Victories

Connor Vander Zalm

On Sunday’s final day of competition, the UB men were buoyed by a pair of victories. Connor Vander Zalm (Kelowna, British Columbia/Kelowna) cruised to an easy win in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 16:20.52, winning the race by more than 30 seconds over Xavier’s Sam Gray and cutting 29 seconds from his time in the event in the UB meet against Ball State on November 10. Zach Ruske (Superior, CO/Monarch) won the 200-yard backstroke final. Ruske, who was the fastest qualifier on Sunday morning with a season-best 1:51.54, won the title in 1:51.59, almost two seconds ahead of St. Bonaventure’s Jim Wood. Ruske’s qualifying time (1:51.54) was more than three seconds faster than any other entrant.