ORLANDO, Fla. – Four Sun Belt Women’s Swim and Dive Championship meet records fell on day three of the event at the Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center in Orlando, Fla. on Friday. The Dukes from James Madison extended their lead out to 766 team points with three of the records.
Day three of the championships featured seven NCAA “B” Standard times with the 1M Dive showcasing five NCAA Zone Qualifying scores. All four meet records happened consecutively to close out the day.
Alexa Holloway from James Madison added to her podium finishes with a resounding victory in the 1M Dive with a score of 332.10. Holloway’s mark shattered the previous meet record of 307.70 and set a new Sun Belt record that was set at 323.85 back in 2011. The score also ranked 11th in the NCAA and marked a new school record.
Paige Banton from Marshall scored herself an NCAA “B” Standard and meet record time of 1:01.36 in the 100 Breast. Banton defeated a record that was set in 2013 and won the final by a margin of 0.01 seconds.
James Madison senior Madison Cottrell set a new meet record in the 100 Back with an NCAA “B” Standard time of 53.47. The previous record of 53.73 had remained since 2010. Cottrell also earned another NCAA “B” Standard time in the 100 Fly with a time of 52.93.
The James Madison 400 Medley Relay team of Cameron Gring, Riley Bridgman, Madison Cottrell and Jamie Cornwell set a new Sun Belt meet record in 3:38.46. This marked the third consecutive day that the Dukes ended the session with a meet record from a relay team. The previous mark of 3:39.50 was set by Western Kentucky in 2010 that featured Olympic Gold Medalist Claire Donahue.
All three podium finishers in the 400 IM recorded NCAA “B” Standard times. Jess Pryne captured the top spot with a time of 4:15.65. Finishing just behind her were the Marshall pair of Eszter Laban [4:16.40] and Molly Warner [4:17.06].
In the 100 Breast, James Madison freshman Riley Bridgman also hit an NCAA “B” Standard earning silver in 1:01.37.
The 1M Dive saw five of the eight competitors hit NCAA Zone Qualifying scores. Silver medalist Grace Kelsheimer from Marshall scored 307.60. Bronze medalist Kate Vitolo scored 290.30. The podium finishers were joined by Karlee Wells from Georgia Southern [284.65] and Natalie Jones from James Madison [281.30].
The James Madison trio of Grace Bousum, Katelyn Fitzgerald and Jamie Cornwell swept the podium in the 200 Free for a total of 53 team points. All three swam faster than their seeded time, as Bousum earned gold in 1:48.43. Fitzgerald finished in 1:49.10 as Cornwell touched the wall in 1:49.24.
Women’s Team Scores (through 14 events)
1 . James Madison, 766
2 . Marshall, 550
3 . Georgia Southern, 443
4 . Old Dominion, 321
Championship Records Broken
200 Medley Relay – James Madison [1:38.53]
200 Free Relay – James Madison [1:30.69]
100 Breast – Paige Banton, Marshall [1:01.36]
100 Back – Madison Cottrell, James Madison [53.47]
1M Dive – Alexa Holloway, James Madison [332.10]
400 Medley Relay – James Madison [3:38.46]
Sun Belt Records Broken
1M Dive – Alexa Holloway, James Madison [332.10]