Crile Hart Breaks D3 National Record in Women’s 200 IM

NORTH COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (NCAC) – MEN AND WOMEN

• Dates: Wednesday, February 12-Saturday, 15, 2020
• Location: Trumbull Aquatic Center – Denison University
• Defending Champion: Kenyon women (2x), Denison men (11x)
• Live Results: Available here
• Live Video (if available): Available here
• Championship Central

Kenyon junior Crile Hart broke the NCAA Division III Record in the women’s 200 IM this weekend swimming at the NCAC Championship meet. That was part of a 2nd-place effort for the Kenyon Ladies at the meet, finishing as runners-up behind their arch rivals Denison.

Hart, who finished 3rd at last year’s NCAA Division III National Championship meet in the 200 IM, won on Thursday in 1:58.04. That clipped the record of 1:58.18 set by NYU’s Honore Collins at last year’s National Championships.

Hart’s previous best time of 1:58.86 was done as a freshman at nationals in 2018, where she set the D3 record in prelims and was slower, but still good enough for gold, in finals. Last season, she hit a 1:58.63 mid-season, but came up short at nationals, touching in 2:00.53 for 3rd place.

The women’s 200 IM is set up to be the highlight meet of this year’s nationals, with 4 bona fied D3 stars lining up: the defending champion Collins, the country’s best breaststroker KT Kustritz of Denison, the new national record holder Hart, and the country’s other best breaststroker (and another D3 record breaker this weekend) Jordyn Wentzel of St. Kate’s. In fact, the top 6 finishers from last year’s NCAA Championship meet all return.

In a crowded field, Hart’s advantage is on the front-half of the race: she is the two-time defending D3 champion in the 100 and 200 yard backstroke races.

The 2020 NCAA Division III Championship meet runs from March 18th-21st in Greensboro, North Carolina.