Greensboro's Phillips Named Swimming of the Year

GREENSBORO, N.C. --- Washington and Lee University won four more events on Sunday on the way to 992 team points to win its fifth straight and 22^nd overall ODAC swimming championship.  Randolph-Macon College finished second with 740 points and Sweet Briar College (373) placed third at the 2012 ODAC Swimming Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C.

It may have been the first year for Greensboro College as an associate member of the ODAC, but that didn’t keep Emma Phillips from winning three events and setting a new ODAC record.  The reigning Atlantic States Swimmer of the Year continued her success in the season-ending meet as she was named the ODAC Swimmer of the Year in a vote of the conference’s coaches.   W&L’s Kami Gardner was tabbed as the ODAC Coach of the Year for third time.  She was joined by Caroline Hamp, who was named ODAC Rookie of the Year, and Delaney Rolfe, who repeated as the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  Bridgewater College’s Simone Conyers was selected as the Bonnie Kestner Sportsmanship Award recipient.

For Phillips, she added to an already impressive championship resume on Sunday as she won her third event of the meet.  She added a title in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:25.39) to victories in the 200 and 400-yard individual medleys.  She set a new ODAC overall and meet record in the former event (2:09.62) on Friday.  She also swam legs on The Pride’s 200-yard freestyle, 400-yard freestyle, 200-yard medley, and 400-yard medley relay teams.

Gardner is now 5-for-5 in team titles since taking over the Generals’ swimming program prior to the 2007-08 season.  She has coached three ODAC Swimmer of the Year award winners and four ODAC Rookie of the Year athletes.  She has also coached four ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award winners.

Washington and Lee’s Hamp had a strong showing in her first ODAC championship meet. She won the 100-yard butterfly on Saturday, placed third in the 200-yard backstroke on Sunday, and touched ninth in the 200-yard individual medley.  She also helped W&L to wins the 200-yard and 400-yard medley relays.

Rolfe is the third student-athlete to repeat as the swimming winner of the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award, joining former General, Amy Roberson, and Erin Ewalt from then Randolph-Macon Woman’s College.  Rolfe, a junior accounting and business administration major, boasts a 3.824 grade point average.  She is also a W&L Scholar-Athlete and a two-time member of the All-ODAC Academic Team.  In the pool, Rolfe won the 500-yard freestyle on Friday, finished third in the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard butterfly, and swam legs of the winning 400-yard and 800-yard freestyle relays.

The finals began with the long-distance 1,650-yard freestyle.  W&L’s Joanie Snyder picked up 20 points for the Generals with a winning time of 18:11.45.  She was followed by Hollins University’s Maggie Dwyer (18:12.07), who shaved more than a minute off her personal-best time.  R-MC’s Rebecca Stevenson (18:15.91) finished third, while Washington and Lee’s Colleen Moore (18:22.58), Lauren Starnes (18:28.30) and Kelly Ross (18:29.85) took the next three spots.

In the 200-yard backstroke, W&L’s Jocelyn Cassada eclipsed the NCAA “B” cut with a time of 2:06.59 to earn her second individual win of the Championships.  She won the 100-yard backstroke on Saturday.  Teammates Katie Salvati (2:11.95) and Hamp (2:13.39) followed Cassada in the 200 back to claim the top three spots.  Randolph-Macon’s Emily Maltby (2:16.69) and Elizabeth Plowman (2:18.18) separated Rachel Mensch (2:18.62) from her Generals’ teammates in the event’s placings.

In the 100-yard freestyle, Randolph-Macon’s Sarah Almond won her third event of the meet with a time of 52.98.  She was followed by fellow Yellow Jacket Lizzy Buckley (53.31) in second and a pair of Generals in Meredith Hardy (54.35) and Izzy Brassfield (54.52).  Ellie Shea (55.11) and Kelsey Bagley Hall (55.18) made it four of the top six spots for R-MC.

After Phillips, Randolph-Macon’s Virginia Mauch finished second in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:27.48.  W&L’s Dana Fredericks (2:27.61) and Hannah Melkun (2:29.63) took third and fourth, while R-MC’s Kellianne Mullin (2:29.81) was fifth.

The 200-yard butterfly title went to W&L’s Brittany Ross in 2:11.84, leading the Generals to the top four positions in the event.  Ross was followed by Lauren Kasoff (2:14.32), Rolfe (2:16.58) and Mensch (2:19.88).  Bridgewater’s Shannon Myers (2:21.86) finished fifth.

The 400-yard freestyle relay, the final event of the Championships, proved to be a tight race for the second time in as many years.  Both W&L and R-MC eclipsed the former meet (3:36.63) and overall (3:37.68) records.  But it was W&L’s 3:33.95 that out-paced Randolph-Macon (3:34.06) to the wall.  Bridgewater finished third in 3:46.90.

Listed below are the major award winners from the 2012 ODAC Swimming Championships, as well as the final team standings.  For more information, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.

2012 ODAC SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
ODAC Swimming of the Year: Emma Phillips, Sr, Greensboro
ODAC Coach of the Year: Kami Gardner, Washington and Lee
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Caroline Hamp, Fr, Washington and Lee
ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Delaney Rolfe, Jr, Washington and Lee
Bonnie Kestner Sportsmanship Award: Simone Conyers, Sr, Bridgewater

Final Team Standings