COLUMBUS, Ga. - An All-America performance by the 200-yard freestyle relay team was the highlight of the opening two days of the NAIA Men's Swimming and Diving National Championships inside the Columbus Aquatics Center.
The team of
Dylan Osborne,
Ian Locke,
Mitch Hawley and
Andrew Clifford recorded the best finish ever by a Coyote quartet at Nationals, placing fourth in the championship final with a time of 1:24.53.
The effort moved C of I into 12th-place overall after Day 2 - recording 63 team points. Keiser (Fla.) holds a narrow lead in the overall team race with 209 points, just ahead of SCAD-Savannah (Ga.) with 205.5 points, with Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) in third (116 points).
Two Coyotes advanced to the evening finals - as Clifford broke the 200-yard IM school record with his second-place finish in the consolation final (1:52.43), while Osborne placed eighth in the consolation final of the 50-yard freestyle (21.22).
Clifford was joined by Osborne,
Alec Chournos and
Hayden Krause for an third-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay consolation final (3:29.55), with Hawley,
Graham Williams and
Jake Klassen joining Clifford for an 11th-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay (7:02.00).
Four others competed in morning preliminary heats - Klassen placing 17th in the 200-yard IM (1:57.02), Hawley placing 22nd in the 200-yard IM (1:58.50), Williams placing 28th in the 500-yard freestyle (4:54.80), with Chournos taking 30th in the 200-yard IM (2:00.35).
Day 3 begins tomorrow with preliminary heats at 9 a.m. (EST)
