12/02/2007
Swim and Dive Compete at Wesleyan Invitational

MIDDLETOWN, CONN. 12/02/07 - The Clark University women’s and men’s swim and dive team faired well after two days of competition at the Wesleyan University Cardinal Invitational this weekend.

The women’s team placed second in the five-team field with 917.5 points. The host school won the invitational with 1,312 points.

First-year Brittany Wigley (Newport Beach, Cali.) was the Cougars top individual finisher. She placed in the top-four in three separate events, including first place in the 1,650-yard freestyle (19:03.04), second in the 500-yard freestyle (5:28.19) and fourth in the 200-yard freestyle (2:07.46).

Newcomer Elizabeth Rosen (North Attleboro, Mass.), sophomore Dana Akerfelds (Bronxville, N.Y.), junior Jessica Cullen (Milford, Conn.) and rookie Tracy Lindboe (East Brunswick, N.J.) also garnered top-five finishes. Rosen placed third in the 200-free (2:05.89), while Akerfelds (50-back/31.30), Cullen (200-back/2:25.54) and Lindboe (100-back/1:07.03) each took fifth in their respective events.

In relay events, Wigley, Rosen and Akerfelds teamed up with Kayleigh Lagasse (Pawtucket, R.I.) to take third in the 800-yard freestyle relay with a time of 8:38.86, while the team of Rosen, Lagasse, Wigley and Lindsey Stone (Avon, Conn.) also finished third in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:59.77).

Jessica Baker (Queensbury, N.Y.) also had a strong showing in the 3-meter dive with her second place finish (195.30).

On the men’s side, the Cougars placed fourth out of five teams with 563 points. Wesleyan captured the title with 1,326 points.

Drew Jackson scored points for Clark in four individual events. The junior from Chestertown, Md., was third in the 200-yard back (2:06.84) and 500-yard free (5:05.82), and fourth in the 100-yard back (58.65) and fifth in the 200-yard butterfly (2:12.97). Alex Donnenfeld (New York, N.Y.) was fourth in the 200-yard breast (2:34.99) and Dan Howard (Bow, N.H.) took fifth in the 200-yard back (2:09.86) to round out Clark’s top finishers. Jackson, Donnenfeld, Howard and Taylor Morono (New London, N.H.) combined to finish third in the 400-yard medley relay.

In diving events, Colin Oldenburg placed third in both the 1-meter board (147.83) and the 3-meter board (133.95).

The Clark women’s swim and dive team will host Babson College and Mount Holyoke on Saturday (1 p.m.), while the men’s team will face off against Babson College that same day (1 p.m.).