NCAC Swimming and Diving Championships

Edited: Feb. 15, 2009

Date: Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 12-14

Site: C.T. Branin Natatorium, Canton, OH

DENISON MEN AND WOMEN OBLITERATE RECORD BOOKS ON WAY TO NCAC TITLES;
KENYON MEN AND WOMEN FINISH SECOND

CANTON, Ohio – The Denison men and women halted Kenyon's domination of the North Coast Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships in dramatic fashion, breaking 21 conference records on their way to their second team titles, respectively, at the 25th annual championship meet, hosted by Wooster at C.T. Branin Natatorium, February 12-14. The Big Red men picked up their first overall trophy since 1997, while the women came out on top for the first time since 2004. Overall 25 championship records exchanged hands during the three-day event.

The Denison men won 16 of the 20 events contested over the three-day competition, racking up 1,794.5 points to best the second-place Lords (1,419) by 375.5 points, the highest margin of victory in an NCAC meet since 1994. Wittenberg placed third accumulating 903.5 points, while Wabash (782.5) wound up fourth and Wooster (671.5) was fifth. Allegheny (659), Oberlin (476), Ohio Wesleyan (348), and Hiram (311) round out places six through nine, respectively.

The Big Red women also posted 16 event victories totaling 1,740.5 points during the 20-event championship. Second-place Kenyon (1,609.5) was followed by Allegheny (921) in third, Wooster in fourth (823) and Wittenberg (806) in fifth. Oberlin (612), Ohio Wesleyan (414) and Hiram (411) closed out the standings in positions six through eight, respectively.

Denison junior Olivia Zaleski (Corry, PA/Corry Area) repeated as the Female Swimmer of the Year. Individually, she won the 100 butterfly (54.84), 50 freestyle (23.19) and the 100 backstroke (55.78). She established NCAC records in all three events and also met the NCAA automatic qualifying standard for the upcoming national championship meet. Zaleski was a member of the winning 200 free (1:32.95), 400 free (3:24,80), 200 medley (1:41.17), and 400 medley (3:45.79) relays. All four relay times bested NCAC records and national championship time standards. The 200 free relay, as well as the medley relays, broke C.T. Branin Natatorium pool records; the medley relays and Zaleski's 100 fly set national collegiate marks.

Big Red senior John Geissinger (Darien, CT/Lawrenceville School) was tabbed the Male Swimmer of the Year after posting individual victories in the 50 free (19.98), 100 free (43.96), and the 200 free (1:37.33). All three times met national championship qualifying standards and set NCAC championship marks. Geissinger also swam a leg on four victorious relays, which broke NCAC records and eclipsed NCAA 'A' cut times - the 200 free relay (1:20.89), the 400 free relay (2:59.53), the 800 free relay (6:39.05), and the 400 medley relay (3:18.96). The 200 free relay as well as his winning time in the 50 free gave Geissinger C. T. Branin pool records as well.

Denison freshman Brett Balling (Troy, MI/Troy) swept both the 1- (387.15 ) and 3-meter (359.55) diving events, earning her Female Diver of the Year honors. Denison senior Russ Bornschein (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer) took the one-meter board with a career-best 442.95 points, and finished third in the three-meter event with 400.90 points, earning himself the Male Diver of the Year award.

Denison's Gregg Parini was honored with both the Men's and Women's Swimming Coach of the Year honors by his peers. He wins the women's award for the seventh time and the men's for the fourth time in his Big Red career. Wittenberg's Jim Smith collected his first Men's Diving Coach of the Year trophy, while Denison's Stephen Ritter earned his first Women's Diving Coach of the Year honor. He had won the men's award the past three seasons.