Athena Swimmers Rank Ninth in Nation

Nine turned out to be a lucky number for CMS swimmers during the 2006 Division III Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. Nine Athena swimmersall hailing from CMC and comprising the largest team the Athenas have ever sent to the national championshipsset a new best for women's CMS swimming, finishing ninth in the nation last week with 139 points.
"Ninth place is the best we've ever done on the women's side," says Claremont-Mudd-Scripps head swim coach Charlie Griffiths. "The Athenas were 11th in 1988, 1997, and 2004. Our previous best point total was 116.5 in 1988, so the 139 we scored sets a new record.
"The Athenas put together a remarkable meet at the NCAA's," Griffiths says. "The depth and balance of our team really showed. Only two other teams were able to place all five of its relays in the top 12, and CMS topped every team in the nation in at least one of the relay races. To post team-record times in every relay, and to set four SCIAC relay records at the national championships, illustrates how special a weekend it was."
(View results for the March 9-11 championships: http://apps.carleton.edu/athletics/swimming/ncaa2006/womens_championship/)
All-Americans included: Sarah Heine '08 in the 200 freestyle (2nd) and 100 freestyle (5th); the 800 free relay team of Lauren Kristensen '07, Jordan Stewart '09, Danielle Peebles '09 and Heine (4th); and the 200 free relay team of Kristensen, Kevyn Klein '08, Linh Luong '06 and Heine (8th).
"Having all nine participants score is the largest number of Athena All-Americans ever," Griffiths says. "Sarah Heine's second-place finish in the 200 freestyle was a breakout performance, but she followed that with an even more phenomenal effort, passing four teams during her anchor-leg of the 800 freestyle relay. Her 1:50.91 relay-split was the fifth fastest in NCAA Division III history."
As well, Griffiths says, the fourth-place finish in the 800 free relay was the best relay finishbreaking the oldest women's SCIAC record (Pomona-Pitzer 1985).
Honorable Mention All-Americans included Lisal Smith '07 in the 200 breaststroke (9th) and 200 individual medley (10th); Amy Fuller '07 in the 400 individual medley (13th); the 400 medley relay team of Heine, Smith, Fuller and Kristensen (10th); the 400 free relay team of Kristensen, Samantha Kepler '06, Peebles and Heine (11th); and the 200 medley relay team of Smith, Kristensen, Luong and Klein (12th).