Emory, Kenyon Both Crush D3 800 Free Relay Record, Emory Wins by .10

Division III Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 15-18, 2017
• CISD Natatorium, Shenandoah, Texas
• Final 10 AM, Finals 6 PM – U.S. Central Time Zone (GMT -6 currently)
• Event schedule
• Real-time results – diving
• Real-time results – swimming
• Video link
• Championship Central

Women’s 800-yard Freestyle Relay – Fastest Heat

• NCAA DIII Record: 7:18.15 3/23/2012, Williams (Thompson, Todhunter, Geller, Wilson)

1. Emory 7:14.98
2. Kenyon 7:15.08
3. Wash U 7:21.92
4. Chicago 7:22.15
5. Williams 7:22.47
6. Calvin 7:28.72
7. MIT 7:29.95
8. NYU 7:30.28

Emory and Kenyon gave the crowd a thrilling end to Day Three of competition at the NCAA Division III Championships. Their women’s 800 relays battled down the stretch, trading stroke for stroke, both well under the pace to break the national record.

Emory had gotten off to a quick start with sophomore Fiona Muir (1:47.84) and junior Julia Wawer (1:50.15), but Kenyon saved their firepower for the back half. Freshman Julia Green (1:50.30) and sophomore Delaney Ambrosen (1:49.45) first two legs had kept the Ladies within 1.8 seconds of the Eagles, then sophomore Hannah Orbach-Mandel made up the gap by swimming a 1:47.79 third leg, giving Kenyon a half body-length lead heading into the anchor leg. Senior Marissa Bergh’s 1:50.04 kept Emory within reach, so that junior Cindy Cheng, the individual 200 free champion, could unleash a 1:46.95 anchor. Kenyon sophomore Abby Wilson’s anchor of 1:47.54 was 1.35 seconds faster than her performance in the 200 free final, and nearly enough to keep Cheng at bay. The two reached to touch the wall at the same time and looked up to see the scoreboard. Emory had edged Kenyon by 10/100 and etched their name in the record book.

It was excellent racing all around, though. The comparative splits, next to the old record, are as follows: