In a performance Coach Marc Hagen said bodes well for the upcoming Atlantic 10 Championship, both the GW men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams routed James Madison University at the Smith Center Saturday.
“In terms of combined men’s and women’s, it was probably the best effort I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Hagen said. “In every race, each person had a personal best swim. It fired me up a lot for the conference (championship).”
The men’s team placed first in 10 of the 13 events in a 149-88 win. The meet opened with GW winning the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:29.21.
Sophomore Tim Champney won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of :21.43. Senior John Klonsky won the one-meter diving competition, and freshman Jeremy Hoders won the three-meter competition.
Hagen said almost every member of the team is swimming well, a key to GW finding success at the A-10 Championship Feb. 19-21 in Buffalo, NY.
“For us to have a shot at the conference championship, we need all 18 guys to score for us,” he said.
Hagen complimented the swimming of junior Jason Serino. Serino, a walk-on, placed fourth in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of :22.01.
“If guys like Jason continue to do what they’ve been doing, it bodes well.”
The women’s team was equally dominant, winning 150-91. The women’s team placed first in 12 of 13 events. Sophomore Jennifer Skinner won three events: the 200-, 500- and 1000-yard freestyle races. Freshman Lynne McCormack won both the one- and three-meter diving competitions.
Junior Dena Hoffman won two events for the Colonial women. Hoffman placed first in the 200-yard butterfly (2:09.26) and the 200-yard individual medley (2:11.91). In addition, senior Connie Shelton won the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:26.45. Sophomore Rachel Smith placed first in the 200-yard backstroke in 2:09.18.
Both teams have one meet remaining before the A-10 Championship. GW travels to the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Saturday to race against UMBC and the Naval Academy.
“We’re getting mentally and physically ready to peak in 23 days,” Hagen said. “We’ve just got to continue doing what we’ve been doing.”
