Dragons Cap CAA Championships with Conference Titles and New School Records

Saturday, February 27

Fairfax, Va.

TBA

Drexel University

CAA Championships

Dragons Cap CAA Championships with Conference Titles and New School Records

2/28/2010 11:45:15 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

Complete Meet Results
Top Point Scorers
Final Team Scores
Video of Ian Jevnick's Victory in the 1-Meter Dive

Fairfax, Va. - Drexel swimming & diving capped its 2009-10 season with a stunning showing at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships as the Dragons decimated the school's record book while multiple athletes claimed conference crowns. T.J. Southmayd claimed the CAA Championship in the 200 IM as he established a new school record in the event. Armagan Yavuz won the 200 fly for the third straight year with a time that not only broke Drexel's school record, it cracked the NCAA "B" cut time which could land him a spot at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships. Ian Jevnick took home the CAA's Most Outstanding Men's Diver Award by winning the 1-meter dive and placing second on the 3-meter board. On the women's side, three new Drexel individual records were set along with a new mark in the 200 medley relay. Maria Coman took down the 100 back record, Lauren Faykes knocked off the 200 back mark and Malin Wiberg established a new benchmark in the 200 breast. The three joined Morgan Cichewicz in the 200 medley relay to topple the old school mark. As a team the men finished fifth while the women placed ninth.

Southmayd showed his versatility throughout the championships with impressive showings in the back and IM events. His 51 team points earned was the fifth-most of any men's athlete at the championships. After winning the 200 IM with a time of 1:50.46, Southmayd took second in the 200 back and fifth in the 100 back. The senior's time of 1:48.90 in the 200 back earned him All-CAA honors in the event as a top-three finisher.

The story in the 200 fly was not just Yavuz's third triumph in as many years in the event, it may have been the margin of victory for the junior. Yavuz's time of 1:47.98 was 1.34 seconds faster than the second-place finisher as it appeared he was racing against the NCAA "B" cut time as much as the against the other best fly swimmers in the conference. Yavuz did touch the wall just before the clock reached the cut time of 1:48.09. The junior must now wait for results from every conference championship before knowing if he will represent Drexel at the NCAA Championships.

Jevnick, the 2009 CAA Men's Diver of the Year, triumphed in the 1-meter and took second in the 3-meter despite a tough field. After staving off George Mason's Bryan Bahr and Derrick Butts, who each totaled more than 320 points in the final, with a score of 340.30, the junior racked up 355.45 points on the 3-meter board but Bahr's total of 361.05 made Jevnick have to settle for second place. Jevnick will represent Drexel at the NCAA Diving Zone Regional in both events.

Coman picked up her school record in the 100 back after qualifying for the consolation finals. The junior took 13th overall with a time of 57.67 to earn four team points. Coman previously held the school mark when, as a freshman, she shattered Lisa Van Pelt's time that had stood since 1979. After losing the record to a teammate, Coman's name is back on top and the time in the books has been trimmed again.

Faykes' new mark in the 200 back seemed to come out of nowhere as she shaved almost three full seconds off her previous best time of 2:09.13. Her time of 2:06.28 in the prelims placed 17th as she just missed out on a place in the consolation finals.

Wiberg picked up four team points after qualifying for the consolation finals in the 200 breast and taking fifth in the consolation finals and 13th overall. After a qualifying time of 2:23.22, she broke the school mark in the evening race with a time of 2:21.68.

Freshman Doga Celik assualted the Drexel men's freestyle record book in just his first conference championships appearance. He broke school records in the 50, 100 and 200 free. His top showing came in the 200 free where he took second place and All-CAA status with a time of 1:38.84. After earning a place in the finals of the 100 free, Celik took sixth with a time of 45.56. Sherif Madkour also added his name to the list of All-CAA performers with his second place finish in the 200 breast with a time of 2:01.23. It was Madkour's second finals berth in a breast event as he had previously taken eighth in the 100 breast with a time of 57.36.

In addition to the school records that were broken, many athletes put their names on Drexel's all-time top five list. Jessica Csakai established the third-best times in the 200 free (1:52.99), 500 free (5:03.38), 1000 free and 1650 free (17:22.47). In addition to her record in the 200 breast, Wiberg also recorded the school's third-best times in the 200 IM (2:09.82) and the 100 breast (1:06.42). Amanda Brown recorded the fourth-fastest time in the 100 breast (1:07.42) while Cichewicz and Kelly Scheirer are now third and fourth, respectively, on the 100 back all-time list with times of 59.91 and 1:00.16. Faykes added the school's second-best time in the 200 fly (2:05.49) to her new school mark in the 200 back.