Rookie diver highlights Chapman win over Caltech
ORANGE, Calif. - The Chapman University women's swimming and diving team earned a 188-45 victory over visiting Caltech on Sunday at the Allred Aquatics Center. The win was highlighted by a career-best performance from freshman diver Chelsey Hanle to open the meet and a strong swim from the Panthers' 800-yard freestyle relay team to close the competition.
Hanle earned career-high scores in the 1-meter and 3-meter dive competitions to claim first place in both events. The rookie placed first in the 1-meter with an overall score of 209.4, almost 45 points higher than the second place finisher Erin Zampaglione from Caltech (164.6). Hanle's high score in the round came from a backwards one and a half pike with a degree of difficulty of 2.3 that earned her 39.1 points.
In the 3-meter competition Hanle also eclipsed 200 points with a total score of 204.8. Her fifth round dive, a reverse dive pike, received the highest marks from judges earning a score of 38.
Chapman sophomore Fernanda Gallo captured third place in the 3-meter event on the strength of back-to-back dives - a reverse dive tuck and an inward one and a half tuck - scoring 34.2 points each. Gallo's overall score of 173.5 was just one-tenth of a point out of second place and less than a point ahead of teammate Andie Herrick who placed fourth.
In the 800-yard freestyle relay, Chapman's foursome of Karisa Pierson, Alex Chan, Amanda Morris and Rachel Graham placed first with a time of 8:33.47 in one of their final tune-ups before the Pacific Coast Swim Championships next month where the Panthers hope to make a run at the school record time of 8:17.41.
Junior swimmer Julia Fish earned a pair of victories on Sunday in the only two individual events she entered, capturing first place in both the 400-yard individual medley and the 500-yard freestyle. Her time of 5:28.98 in the 500 free was just six seconds off the pace of Chapman's school record in the event.
On the men's side, sprinter Nathan Worden captured first place in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.82 and also in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 57.65. Caltech won the men's meet 95-84.
by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director
Results: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/wswimdive/2009-10/stats/CT-CU.htm