SWIMMING & DIVING: MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP LINKS, UPDATES and Recap
February 18, 2008
The Alma College Swimming and Diving Team traveled to Holland, Michigan to compete in the MIAA Conference Championship Meet from February 14th to 16th. The Scots have been working towards this highly anticipated meet since starting their season in September. The three day meet consisted of long days and intense competition, as well as a lot of fun and excitement. Personal best times, multiple top-12 finishes and new school records were among the many accomplishments achieved by the Scot Swimming and Diving Team over the weekend. The athletes showed that they have the ability and determination to be competitive with in the MIAA.
In day one of competition, sophomore Sarah Anderson got the Lady Scots their first points by finishing 12th in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:28.47. The divers followed with outstanding performances. Sophomore Hanna Leestma took 4th place in 3-meter diving with a score of 399.25. Freshman Brianna Harfmann took 6th place with a score of 362.95, and sophomore Elaina Paulson placed 10th with a score of 293.60. Junior diver Steve Rose had a season best performance in the men’s 1-meter competition and finished 4th with a score of 397.85.
On day two, freshman Jordan Bryde made the consolation heat in the 100-yard backstroke and finished in 10th place with a time of 1:04.59. In the men’s competition, freshman Andrew Brunner started his weekend off with two solid performances – finishing 10th in the100-yard butterfly (53.50) and 11th in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:02.72). Sophomore Spencer Johnson accomplished his season goal by demolishing Alma College’s 100-yard backstroke record with a time of 53.12. This time also gave Johnson a 4th place finish in the meet. The Lady Scot divers had another strong day getting a total of 22 points from three top 12 performances. Leestma finished in 5th (383.35), Harfmann finished in 7th (343.85) and Paulson finished in 8th (339.10).
On the third and final day of competition, junior Sara Swanton competed in the final heat of the1650-yard freestyle. Her exciting performance earned her 6th place and a personal best time of 18:33.89. Bryde made the consolation heat in the 200-yard backstroke event and posted an 11th place time of 2:20.08. In the men’s 200-yard backstroke, Johnson grabbed another school record of 1:58.11 during the prelim event and got a 6th place finish with a time of 1:59.12 during finals. Brunner finished off his first conference meet with a 10th place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:18.28). The Scots had two male divers make the top six. Sophomore Spencer Johnson took a break from his swimming events to earn 5th place with a score of 377.65. Junior Steve Rose took 6th place with a final score of 371.05.
Head Swimming and Diving Coach Chris Hamstra said, “I am very proud of our athletes. There is a lot of pressure on this final meet but everyone rose to the challenge in the toughest competition of the year and came away with fast swims, top diving scores and many personal records.”
The Alma College Women finished in 7th place with a final point total of 134. The Alma men finished in 6th place with a final point total of 148. These totals were a significant improvement on last year’s final scores.
Follow the links below to be redirected to the MIAA website:
MIAA Swimming & Diving Home (Men/Women)
Directions to Holland Aquatic Center
Complete MIAA Championship Results
Posted: Fri, February 15th, 2008 at 12:57PM
