Women finish 2nd, men 4th at SCAC Championships

The Centre swim teams had their final team meet of the year at the 2012 SCAC Championships in Rockwall, Texas. The meet lasted four days and when the dust had settled, Centre had earned a second place finish on the women's side and a fourth place finish on the men's.

The Colonels got outstanding performances on the men's side from their seniors. Stewart Lowery (Newport News, Va.), in when head coach Dean Brownley called "the meet of his life," set personal best times in every event in which he competed, making it to the podium in the 100-yard backstroke, the 400 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay. Aaron Edwards (Henderson, Ky.) placed at the podium in four events, all of them relays. Shawn Malony (Owensboro, Ky.) took third place in the 200-yard individual medley and fourth place in two relays. 

The underclassmen also had a nice showing at the conference championship. Junior Ryan Rougeux (Louisville, Ky.)  finished third and fourth in the 1m and 3m diving competitions. Sophomore Gordon Duren (Columbia, S.C.) was a part of the 200 free and 400 medley relay squads that each made it to the podium. Freshmen Louis Rodgers (Florence, Ky.) and Spencer Vetter (Lexington, S.C.) finished third and fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke. Vetter was also a part of the 400 medley relay team that finished fourth along with Lowery, Edwards and Duren. 

On the women's side, the biggest stories of the meet were the dominant performances by senior Colleen Maggard (Paris, Ky.) and sophomore Clark Weber (Louisville, Ky.). Both swimmers won three individual events. Maggard won the 50-yard freestyle, the 100-yard backstroke and the 200-yard backstroke. Weber won the 500-yard freestyle, the 200-yard freestyle and the 1650. By virtue of her performance at this meet, Weber was named the SCAC Swimmer of the Year. 

Maggard and Webber also swam very well in relay competitions. They combined with sophomore Maddie Mescher (Fort Mitchell, Ky.) and freshman Hadley Judson (Atlanta, Ga.) to win the 200-yard freestyle relay, then won the 800-yard freestyle relay with Judson and junior Holly Oatman (Paducah, Ky.). Maggard and Weber also placed third in the 400-yard medley relay with help from senior Laura Walton (Lexington, Ky.) and junior Tayllor Vetter (Lexington, S.C.) 

In addition to the relays, Oatman finished fifth in the 500-yard freestyle and second in the 200-yard backstroke. Judson finished fifth in the 50-yard freestyle and fourth in the 200-yard freestyle. Sophomore Meghan Holliday (Newark, Del.) finished fourth in the 200-yard individual medley, and the team of Vetter, Walton, Judson and sophomore Rachel Carter (Rock Hill, S.C.) took fourth place in the 200-yard medley relay.

For now, the Colonels will have to wait and see if any of their times will qualify for the NCAA Championships on March 20 in Indianapolis, Ind. The qualifiers are expected to be announced sometime next week.