Kenyon’s Crile Hart Downs D3 Record in 200 Back with 1:55.67

2018 NCAA Division III Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• Dates: Wednesday, March 21 – Saturday, March 24
• Swimming: prelims 10am, finals 6pm
• Location: IU Natatorium, Indianapolis, Indiana (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending Champions: Emory (x8) (results)
• Psych Sheet
• Video
• Live Results
• Championship Central

Women’s 200 Yard Backstroke – Final

• NCAA Record: 1:55.83 3/18/2017 Olivia Jackson, Williams

1. Crile Hart, FR Kenyon 1:55.67
2. Cindy Cheng, SR Emory 1:58.37
3. Delaney Ambrosen, JR Kenyon 1:59.11

Kenyon freshman Crile Hart won her third event of the meet on Saturday with a 1:55.67 rout in the women’s 200 backstroke. Not only did she trounce the competition, but she also took down the NCAA Division III Record with her swim, lowering by .16 the 2017 mark of 1:55.83 set by Williams’ Olivia Jackson at last year’s meet.

Defending champion Cindy Cheng of Emory was out first; she led by 4/10 at the 50 and by 3/10 at the 100. Hart swam an unhurried race, nearly even-splitting her 100s. She hammered down on her third 50 to overtake Chang by half a body length at the 150 wall, and came home nearly 2 seconds faster than the defending champion for a 2.7-second margin.

Hart, who broke the NCAA Division III 200 IM Record on Thursday, had never swum a sub-1:56 before. Her fastest 200 back, by 2 full seconds, was the 1:56.86 she swam at 2018 NCAC Championships which set both the meet and the pool record. In the month since that performance, Hart has whittled her back half down to 58.11 from 59.25, and that is where she gained her advantage. Her last 50 was particularly fast, just under a second slower than her first.

2018 NCAAs – 57.56 / 58.11
2018 NCACs – 57.61 / 59.25

Hart’s splits compared to Olivia Jackson’s record last year: