Simmons College Swimming & Diving was named Great Northeast Athletic Conference Champion of 2008. The win, Simmons’ fifth in a row, and seventh in eight years, capped the two-day meet. More than 100 athletes from the conference’s seven teams gathered at the Simmons College Holmes Sports and Fitness Center to race for the championship title.

The 200-yard Freestyle Relay from Saint Joseph College of Connecticut (Sarah Wheeler, Anne Weeks, Ashleigh Beaudoin, Mary Provencher) set a new GNAC record of 1:50.19, erasing the old mark of 1:50.48.

Keri-Ann Arsenault of Simmons College lowered her own pool and GNAC records for the 1650-yard Freestyle, during Saturday’s competition. Arsenault’s previous pool record of 19:22.14, set in 2005, and GNAC record of 19:50.46, set in 2007, were trimmed to a speedy 19:20.48.

Sarah Wheeler of Saint Joseph College of Connecticut slashed the GNAC record for the 50-yard Butterfly, finishing the race in 28.92, lowering the old mark of 28.96 by four-hundredths of a second.

Diver Catherine Casavant from Wheelock College set a pool record in the 6-dive, 1-meter springboard event. Casavant scored 215.55 points, slashing the old record of 208.20.

The final team standings for the 2008 GNAC Swimming & Diving Championships:
1.    Simmons College    180
2.    St. Joseph’s College of Maine    111
3.    Saint Joseph College of Connecticut    90
4.    Elms College    41.5
5.    Husson College    33
6.    Wheelock College    24
7.    Norwich University    18.5

GNAC Commissioner Joe Walsh and Simmons Director of Athletics Ali Kantor presented Simmons and St. Joseph Maine with the First-place and Runner-Up plaques, and announced the 2008 All-Tournament Team, comprised of the first place finishers in each event.

The 2008 GNAC Swimming & Diving All-Tournament Team (by event):

200 Medley Relay - SJCT - Kristine Ellegard, Mary Provencher, Anne Weeks, Sarah Wheeler

800 Free Relay - SIM - Keri-Ann Arsenault, Hannah McQuillan, Brittany Torelli, Caitlin Urciuoli

400 Medley Relay - SJME - Katie Brookes, Hannah Gajewski, Lindsay D’Ascanio, Jamie Wojtkiewicz

200 Free Relay - SJCT - Ashley Arbo, Theresa Pitassi, Katie Roberts, Katelyn Wasgatt

200 Free - SJME - Hannah Gajewski

50 Back - ELMS - Ashley Arbo

50 Breast - SJCT - Anne Week

100 Fly - SJCT - Sarah Wheeler

50 Free - SIM - Erica Boswell

100 IM - SJME - Hannah Gajewski

1650 Free - SIM - Keri-Ann Arsenault

1 M Diving - WHE - Catherine Casavant

100 Free - SIM - Brittany Torelli

200 Back - SJME - Lindsay D’Ascanio

100 Breast - SJCT - Anne Week

500 Free - SIM - Keri-Ann Arsenault

50 Fly - SJCT - Sarah Wheeler

400 IM - SIM - Keri-Ann Arsenault

3 M Diving - WHE - Catherine Casavant

Complete Results

Courtesy: Simmons Athletic Communications