JMU FINISHES FIFTH OF 10 AT GAMECOCK SWIMMING INVITATIONAL

Thursday, November 19

Columbia, S.C.

All Day

James Madison University

Gamecock Inv.

JMU FINISHES FIFTH OF 10 AT GAMECOCK SWIMMING INVITATIONAL

11/22/2009 6:15:00 AM | Swimming & Diving

COLUMBIA, S.C., Nov. 21, 2009 - James Madison placed fifth overall in a strong field of 10 squads at the 2009 Gamecock Invitational on Saturday afternoon at the University of South Carolina's Carolina Natatorium.

North Carolina won the invitational by a wide margin with a score of 1,256. Duke was second with 754 points followed by South Carolina (616.5), East Carolina (524.5), JMU (267), Florida (206), Georgia Southern (118), Old Dominion (104), Davidson (25), and Charleston (4).

On Saturday's final day of completion, JMU placed four divers in the top 10 on the three-meter board for a total of 47 points in the one event alone. The Dukes were led by junior Jessie Everett (Arlington, Va./Yorktown), who was just 0.05 points shy of her personal record with a mark of 293.70. Sophomore Nicole Jotso (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) was sixth at 280.85. Freshman Kimberly Helfrich (Fort Belvoir, Va./West Springfield) was seventh in 255.40 followed by sophomore Chelsea Savage (Bedford, Texas/L.D. Bell) in 10^th in 248.25.

Three Dukes earned points in the 1,650 freestyle race, led by sophomore Lauren Kranz (Clifton, Va./James Robinson) in ninth in 17:14.97. Junior Emily Konieczny (West Springfield, Mass./Granby) was 11^th in 17:16.65 and sophomore Emily Vance (Moraga, Calif./Campolindo) was 15^th in 17:28.31.

JMU picked up 26 points with a sixth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:32.58. Sophomore Christina Lepore (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) led off and was followed by sophomore Rebecca Hunt (Glen Allen, Va./J.R. Tucker), Vance, and senior P.J. Naber (Chantilly, Va./Chantilly).

In other individual races, junior Lisa Colapietro (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) was 13^th in the 200 breaststroke in 2:23.82. Freshman Andrea Criscuolo (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant) was 14^th in the 200 butterfly in 2:05.90.