University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Rulevich Podiums, Nabors Breaks Freshman Record on Third Day of CCSA Championships
02.22.2019 | Women's Swimming & Diving
FRIDAY RESULTS
LYNCHBURG, Va. - Senior Morgan Rulevich finished third in the 100 breaststroke, and freshman Anna Nabors broke the UNC Asheville freshman record in the 100 butterfly, as the swimming & diving team wrapped up the third day of the CCSA Championships inside the Liberty Natatorium.Â
BULLDOG BITES
Team Standings
After Friday's events, UNC Asheville sits sixth overall with 571 points. The Bulldogs set a record for the most points scored at the CCSA Championships last year with 663 points.
Day Three Preliminary Highlights
100 Butterfly
Day two started off hot for the Bulldogs, as a second UNC Asheville freshman record fell at the CCSA Championships. Nabors clocked a 56.81 time, which bested the previous freshman record (57.14). Nabors was one of two Bulldogs that earned a berth in the B Finals. The rookie finished 14th overall.Â
Catherine Allen was the second Bulldog with a spot in the B Final. The junior swam a 56.97 time en route to a 16th-place finish.Â
Alexis Baker was the final Bulldog to earn a spot in a final race, as the rookie clocked a 59.11. She finished 25th overall.
Hannah Bruno rounded out the top-30 finishes for UNC Asheville, as the freshman swam a 59.98 time and placed 28th overall.
Haley Bennison and Katie Brown also swam in the event, and they clocked season-best times of 1:00.52 and 1:00.82, respectively.Â
400 Individual Medley
Asheville earned its first A Finalist on Friday in the 400 IM. Madison Rogan finished seventh overall with a time of 4:27.72.
Nabors was the only Bulldog representatives in the B Finals, as the rookie clocked a season-best time of 4:36.86 in the prelims.Â
Sydney VandenBerg and Ellis Nelson rounded out the finals berths for the Bulldogs. The senior clocked a 4:37.65 time en route to a 19th-place finish. Nelson swam a season-best time of 4:38.49 and placed 22nd overall.Â
Madison-Grace Bristow rounded out the times for Asheville. The senior posted a season best 4:53.20.
200 Freestyle
Adee Weller and Skylar Rogan swam fast in the 200 freestyle prelims. In fact, the two juniors finished behind one another. Weller finished 10th with a season best 1:52.15, and Skylar Rogan placed 11th with a 1:52.31. Both Bulldogs raced in the B Finals.
Elizabeth Conte was the final Bulldog to race in the preliminary event. The senior posted a time of 1:58.25.
100 Breaststroke
UNC Asheville sent out eight swimmers to race in the 100 breaststroke prelims, and six Bulldogs cashed in with finals appearances. Rulevich nearly posted a top-5 finish, as she finished sixth. The senior swam a 1:03.98 and earned a berth in the A Finals.
Freshman Lily Sullivan was the second-fastest swimmer for Asheville. She clocked a lifetime best 1:06.95 and was the only Bulldog representative in the B Finals.Â
Four Bulldogs earned spots in the C Finals. Out of the four swimmers, MacKenzie Humphrey was the fastest, as she finished 19th overall in the prelims. The rookie clocked a 1:07.63. One spot behind her was fellow classmate Baker. Baker swam a season best 1:08.46 en route to finishing 20th. Amelia Ham placed 24th with a season best 1:08.82, and Skye Lewis finished 27th with a 1:11.79 mark.
Marlee Burgess clocked a lifetime best 1:10.65 time, and Maren Oliver earned a season-best time of 1:11.26.
100 Backstroke
Four Bulldogs swam in the 100 backstroke prelims, and Emma Nelson finished with a lifetime best 57.74. The time placed her 14th overall and earned a spot in the B Final.Â
Haley Bennison clocked a lifetime best 1:01.89, while Jessica Woolfe finished right behind her teammate with a 1:02.17. Katie Brown rounded out the times for Asheville with season best 1:03.78 mark.
100 Butterfly Time Trial
Aleta Jewell swam in the 100 fly, and she clocked a 1:00.13.Â
Day Three Finals Highlights
100 Butterfly
After breaking the freshman record in the prelims, Nabors again broke that mark with a 56.54 time in the B Finals. The rookie improved that new record by 0.27 seconds from her preliminary time. Overall, Nabors placed 12th.
Allen also improved from her preliminary time, as the junior swam a 56.91 in the B Finals. She finished 14th overall and earned 16 team points.Â
Bruno (58.47) and Baker (59.04) also raced in their respective final, C Final. Both freshmen improved their times in the finals.Â
400 Individual Medley
Madison Rogan was the lone Asheville swimmer in the A Final. The junior swam a 4:28.36 time en route to an 8th-place finish and 25 team points.
As the lone Bulldog in the B Final, Nabors represented UNC Asheville, and the freshman clocked a 4:37.45 and placed 18th overall.
A highlight in the 400 IM finals was VandenBerg winning the C Finals. The senior made a vast improvement from her preliminary time, as she posted a season best 4:35.09 mark. Ellis Nelson also raced in the C Final, and the freshman placed 22nd overall with a 4:39.30.
200 Freestyle
Weller and Skylar Rogan swam in the 200 freestyle B Final, and both finished in the top 15. Weller made a 0.01-second improvement from her prelim time (1:52.14), and Skylar Rogan finished with a 1:52.44 mark. The two Bulldogs combined for 36 team points for the Bulldogs
100 Breaststroke
The biggest highlight on Friday was Rulevich earning a podium, as the senior finished with a bronze medal in the A Final. The Lake Wylie, S.C. native posted a 1:02.83 time, which was over a second faster than her prelim time. It was the senior's second medal of the meet, as she was part of the second-place finish in the 800 freestyle relay.
Sullivan raced in the B Final, and the rookie finished 15th overall with a 1:07.27 time. She gave the Bulldogs 15 team points.
The C Final featured four Bulldogs, as Humphrey, Baker, Ham and Lewis all raced in the final. Humphrey was second in the C Final, as she clocked a 1:07.20 (0.43 seconds faster than her prelim time). Baker finished fifth in the final and 23rd overall, as the freshman posted a 1:08.83. Ham and Lewis finished behind one another at 26th and 27th, respectively. Ham posted a 1:10.18, and Lewis swam a 1:11.94.
100 Backstroke
Emma Nelson was the only UNC Asheville swimmer to earn a berth in the final. The senior raced in the B Final and finished 16th overall. She finished with a 57.78 time.
Relays
400 Medley
Consisting of Emma Nelson, Sullivan, Madison Rogan and Skylar Rogan, UNC Asheville's 400 medley team finished sixth overall with a 3:51.47 time. The four Bulldogs added 54 team points for Asheville.
Emma Nelson's leadoff leg (100 backstroke) was a lifetime best for the Evans, Ga. native.
Quotable
"We came out tonight firing on all cylinders! We set ourselves up with the morning swims by qualifying 17 swimmers for the evening. Anna Nabors lowered her own 100 fly freshman record from the morning to night session with a tough double (100 fly & 400 IM). Sydney VandenBerg chased down her opponent to win the C Final in the 400 IM, and Morgan Rulevich took third in the 100 breast. That was her first event podium appearance.Â
"Tomorrow is going to bring more excitement in the 200 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 200 butterfly, 100 free and 1650 free."
- Head swimming & diving coach Elizabeth Lykins -Â
What's Next?
Day four of the CCSA Championships commences on Saturday at 10 a.m. with the women's 200 backstroke. The finals of the events on Saturday will start at 6 p.m. in the Liberty Natatorium.
