Title Quest
From Kenyon News - March 16, 2016
With a combined 57 national championship titles already amassed, the Lords and Ladies seek out two more titles at this week’s 2016 NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. The four-day meet begins Wednesday, March 16, at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Lords, winners of a record 34 national titles, are striving for number 35 with a roster of 17 swimmers. Kenyon's main competition is Denison, which qualified 17 swimmers and three divers. Last season, the Lords captured their third straight NCAA title by scoring 468 points and holding off Denison’s team at 383 points.
The Ladies have an NCAA roster of 17 swimmers and one diver. Of those 18 qualifiers, seven are first-years and another three are sophomores. The young squad will be chasing six-time defending champion Emory, which qualified the maximum 18 swimmers, as well as one diver. The Ladies have 23 NCAA titles on their resume.
“Championship environments are important ones. They bring out the best in us and give us the very best opportunity to test ourselves: physically, mentally and emotionally,” Jess Book ’01, Kenyon’s head swimming and diving coach, said. “Standing up to that challenge is something that I look forward to watching this team do this week. I trust in them, in the training they have done, in their love of the sport, and in their desire to be the best they can be. Ultimately, it is that pursuit of excellence that makes these meets not only enjoyable but so very valuable as well.”
A veteran-laden Lords roster will be led by six seniors, including Joey Duronio ’16, Ryan Funk ’16, Percy Gates ’16, Christian Josephson ’16, Daniel Jurgens ’16 and Mark Newell ’16. Together, they have collected 35 All-America awards.
The Ladies team includes seniors Hannah Lobb ’16, Haley Townsend ’16, Katie Kaestner ’16, Mariah Williamson ’16 and Maria Zarka ’16, a three-time diving champion and 2014 NCAC Diver of the Year. Zarka won the NCAA three-meter title in 2013 and 2014, and then took the one-meter crown in 2015. She is Kenyon's lone returning individual-event champion.
On each day of the four-day championship meet, preliminary heats start at 10 a.m. and final heats start at 6 p.m. Follow the livestream.