Ball State University Athletics
Men's Swimming & Diving Finishes Fourth at MAC Championships
February 28, 2006 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Athens, Ohio - - While Ball State senior freestyle sprint specialist Kurtis Leer was able to complete the defense of his three individual Mid-American Conference Championships with a victory in Saturday's 100 Freestyle, the Cardinals were unable to regain the ground they lost Friday, finishing the 2006 MAC Championships in fourth-place with 491 points.
Miami won the three-day event with 888.5 points, followed by Eastern Michigan (881), Ohio (572.5), BSU and Buffalo (259).
For his efforts at the MAC Championships, Leer was named the MAC Co-Senior Swimmer of the Year, as well as to the All-MAC First Team. Adam Konopka joined Leer on the All-MAC First Team, while Josh Schum and Ritchie Caudill picked up All-MAC Second Team accolades.
The Cardinals opened the final day of competition with four swimmers placing in the top 16 in the meets' longest event, the 1650 Freestyle. Kyle Hembree was BSU's top finisher, scoring seventh overall with the third-fastest time in school annals at 16:03.79. Jim Lullo (12th, 16:42.26), Griff Goas (13th, 16:53.24) and Danny Tracy (14th, 17:47.59) also scored for BSU in the event.
Three more Cardinals earned points in the next event, with Adam Konopka posting a runner-up time of 1:51.65 in the 200 backstroke. Also placing in the event were Brett Pettit (13th, 1:56.92) and Mark Augustyn (15th, 2:01.10).
Leer would follow by completing his freestyle sprint sweep, capturing top honors in the 100 Freestyle with a time of 45.29. Leer, who also captured individual titles in the 50 and 200 Freestyle events over the weekend, finishes his career with two MAC Championships in each event for a total of six.
Josh Schum would add a fourth-place time of 45.86 in the 100 Freestyle, while Tyler McQuiston took home 16th with a clocking of 48.98.
In the 200 Breaststroke, Ritchie Caudill would capture fourth-place with a time of 2:08.06, pacing five Cardinals who finished in the top 16 in the event. Robert Funk was the next-best finisher, earning 11th with a time of 2:10.63, followed by Goas (13th, 2:13.34), Ryan Franklin (2:13.51) and Cameron Taylor (2:21.10).
In the 200 Butterfly, Ian McIntosh and Tracy would be BSU's only competitors in the finals, placing 13th (1:57.73) and 16th (2:05.89), respectively.
On the Three-Meter Diving board, Zach Whitaker was BSU's top performer, finishing seventh with 271.50 points. Caleb Bye placed eighth with 268.15 points.
In the final event of the meet, the Cardinals 400 Freestyle Relay squad of Schum, Konopka, Caudill and Leer finished fourth with a time of 3:06.20.
DAY TWO RESULTS
Athens, Ohio - - While Kurtis Leer was able to defend his championship in the 200 Freestyle, the Ball State men's swimming & diving team slipped one spot to fourth place with 315 points after the second day of the 2006 Mid-American Conference Championships. Miami leads the five-team field with 580.5 points, followed by Eastern Michigan (569), Ohio (369.5), BSU and Buffalo (178).
The Cardinals 200 Medley Relay squad of Adam Konopka, Ryan Franklin, Ritchie Caudill and Tyler McQuiston opened the second day of finals with a third-place time of 1:33.59.
In the first individual event of the night, Adam Konopka placed fifth overall in the 400 Individual Medley, despite posting the second-fastest time in school history at 4:02.44. Kyle Hembree and Jim Lullo would join Konopka in the event, finishing 12th (4:07.45) and 16th (4:20.30), respectively. Konopka and Hembree matched their morning qualifying position, while Lullo dropped a spot from 15th.
The Cardinals took their biggest points hit of the night in the 100 Butterfly, as Ian McIntosh was the only BSU swimmer to reach the finals, placing 15th overall with a time of 52.48 after qualifying in the same position.
Kurtis Leer would follow with his second individual championship of the meet, posting the top time of 1:39.50 in the 200 Freestyle. This was the second of three events Leer managed to defend his 2005 title in. Leer goes for the third Saturday in the 100 Freestyle.
Also placing for the Cardinals in the 200 Freestyle were Josh Schum (5th, 1:41.61), Mark Augustyn (13th, 1:46.49) and Dustin Fulkerson (14th, 1:49.40). Leer, Schum and Fulkerson each improved upon their prelim marks, while Augustyn matched his morning effort.
Despite placing five swimmers in the 100 Breaststroke finals, the highest BSU finisher was Ryan Franklin who captured ninth place with a time of 59.34. Caudill came in 10th (59.37), followed by Robert Funk in 13th (59.84), Cameron Taylor in 14th (1:01.16) and Griff Goas in 16th (1:01.92).
BSU took another big points hit in the final individual event of the day as Brett Pettit was the only Cardinals swimmer to reach the 100 backstroke finals, placing 12th with a time of 53.59. He also qualified 12th in the morning session.
Ball State concluded the day with a third-place time of 6:51.85 in the 800 Freestyle Relay. Schum, Lullo, Hembree and Leer competed in the relay for BSU.
Action in the 2006 Men's Swimming & Diving MAC Championships will conclude Saturday, with prelims in four events starting at
DAY ONE RESULTS
Athens, Ohio - - Despite Kurtis Leer capturing the title in the 50 freestyle, the Ball State men's swimming & diving team finds itself in third place with 159 points after the opening day of the 2006 Mid-American Conference Championships. Eastern Michigan leads the five-team field with 283 points, followed by Miami (270), BSU, Ohio (145) and Buffalo (81).
The Cardinals opened the finals Thursday night with a third-place time of 1:23.47 in the 200 Freestyle Relay. Leer swam the first leg for the team, followed by Ritchie Caudill, Tyler McQuiston and Josh Schum.
In the first individual event of the competition, the 500 freestyle, Kyle Hembree was the Cardinals' top finisher placing 14th with a time of 4:39.85. Jim Lullo also scored for BSU in the event, placing 16th with a time of 4:47.85. Hembree had qualified 11th in the morning preliminary session, while Lullo was 16th.
In the 200 Individual Medley, Adam Konopka posted a time of 1:53.20 to take home second overall, while Caudill took home sixth with a clocking of 1:55.46. Konopka's finish would match his preliminary spot, while Caudill dropped two spots for his fourth-place prelim effort.
In the next event, Ball State senior freestyle sprint specialist Leer was able to defend his first of three MAC Championships from last season, claiming top honors in the 50 Freestyle with a time of 20.62, topping a pair of EMU swimmers who posted a identical time of 20.64. Leer, who is also the defending MAC Champion in the Friday's 200 Freestyle and Saturday's 100 Freestyle events, had placed third in the morning prelims behind both EMU swimmers he beat in the finals (Kevin Joyce and Preston Revere).
Josh Schum and McQuiston would also place in the top 16 in the 50 Freestyle for BSU, earning the No. 9 (20.98) and No. 12 (21.44) slots, respectively. McQuiston had qualified in ninth in the prelims, while Schum was 10th.
In the final individual event of the opening day, Zach Whitaker took home third place on the 1-Meter Diving board with 287.80 points. Whitaker was seventh after the morning session.
The Cardinals would round out the day with a third-place time of 3:26.02 in the 400 Medley Relay. Leer, Caudill and Schum would carry over from the first relay of the meet, while Konopka replaced McQuiston for the third leg.
Action in the 2006 Men's Swimming & Diving MAC Championships continue Friday, with prelims in six events starting at noon. Finals for those events will begin at 7 p.m.
MAC CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
Muncie, Ind. - - The Ball State men's swimming & diving team will compete in the 2006 Mid-American Conference Championships this weekend in Athens, Ohio. The three-day event runs Thursday through Saturday at the Ohio University Aquatic Center.
Ball State enters the event after finishing the regular season with an 3-4-1 (1-2-1 MAC) dual meet record. BSU tied Ohio for third in the MAC regular-season race, trailing Eastern Michigan (4-0 MAC) and Miami (3-1 MAC), while topping Buffalo (0-4 MAC).
Last year, the Cardinals posted a third-place showing at the Championships. Kurtis Leer enters the championships as the defending champion in the 50, 100 and 200 Freestyle events.
The following Cardinals currently rank in the top-16 based on the regular season:
50 Freestyle - Josh Schum (8th, 21.42), Leer (9th, 21.44) & Tyler McQuiston (10th, 21.45)
100 Freestyle - Leer (4th, 46.56), Dustin Fulkerson (5th, 46.80) & Schum (7th, 46.94)
200 Freestyle - Leer (4th, 1:42.93) & Schum (5th, 1:42.94)
500 Freestyle - Kyle Hembree (9th, 4:45.99), Jim Lullo (13th, 4:48.51) & Ritchie Caudill (15th, 4:49.28)
1000 Freestyle - Hembree (12th, 9:48.58) & Lullo (16th, 9:59.68)
1650 Freestyle - Hembree (9th, 16:34.26), Lullo (13th, 16:54.45) and Griff Goas (16th, 17:13.65)
100 Backstroke - Leer (2nd, 52.52), Adam Konopka (9th, 54.05) & Brett Pettit (10th, 54.26)
200 Backstroke - Konopka (3rd, 1:54.00)
100 Breaststroke - Ritchie Caudill (9th, 59.81), Robert Funk (14th, 1:01.43) & Ryan Franklin (15th, 1:01.84)
200 Breaststroke - Caudill (6th, 2:10.33), Funk (11th, 2:14.61), Franklin (12th, 2:15.14) and Goas (14th, 2:16.05)
100 Butterfly - Konopka (16th, 53.47)
200 Butterfly - Konopka (8th, 1:56.10)
200 Individual Medley - Konopka (4th, 1:56.43), Caudill (7th, 1:56.71) & Hembree (15th, 2:01.00)
400 Individual Medley - Konopka (7th, 4:11.60), Caudill (11th, 4:14.50), Hembree (13th, 4:16.73) & Lullo (16th, 4:19.80)
400 Freestyle Relay - Leer, Schum, Augustyn and Lullo (6th, 3:13.43)
800 Freestyle Relay - Schum, Lullo, Hembree and Leer (5th, 7:02.55)
200 Medley Relay - Konopka, Franklin, Caudill and McQuiston (7th, 1:36.84)
400 Medley Relay - Konopka, Franklin, Caudill and Leer (3:34.18)
3-Meter Diving - Zach Whitaker (5th, 296.40), Caleb Bye (10th, 260.85) & David Linn (13th, 226.35)
1-Meter Diving - Whitaker (2nd, 303.15), Bye (7th, 272.77) & Linn (13th, 203.25).
