Radford University

ATHENS, Ga. – A seventh place finish on the three-meter board and a marvelous 400-yard freestyle relay led the Radford swimming and diving team to their highest finish ever at the CCSA Championships Saturday evening at Gabrielson Natatorium. 

The Highlanders improved a spot from last year’s finish of ninth to overtake Howard by six points.

The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Alexa Sears (Newport News, Va. /Menchville), Hinson, Smith and Julia Hoffman (Lynchburg, Va./E.C. Glass) swam six seconds better than their previous season best to help the Highlanders to their best finish at the CCSA Championship. 

School record holder, Katie Shaffer (Virginia Beach, Va. /Ocean Lakes), was the highest finisher for the Highlanders during the entire CCSA Championship with a seventh place on the three-meter board. 

Freshman Whitney Friend (Charlottesville, Va. /Albemarle) swam a personal best of 2:15.58 in the preliminaries to make it to the consolation round of the 200-yard backstroke where she finished in 15th place. Sophomore Alexis Butner (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) swam a season best of 2:28.52 to advance to the consolation round where she finished ninth with a time of 2:29.08. 

Kristi Freund (Newnan, Ga. /Northgate), Mandy Smith (Annandale, Va. /Falls Church), Erica Kappert (Stafford, Va. /Brooke Point) and Ashley Maness each posted a personal or season best in the 200-yard backstroke. 

The 100-yard freestyle saw every Radford swimmer drop at least a tenth of a second or more from their previous times. The biggest improvement in time came when Anna Milotte (Sterling, Va. /Park View) dropped three seconds off her previous best with a time of 57.42. Morgan Hinson (Virginia Beach, Va. /Frank W Cox) also dropped her previous season best by almost two seconds with a time of 56.28. 

Freshmen CeCe De la Garza (Blacksburg, Va./Blacksburg) and Hoffman each swam their best race of the season in the 200-yard breaststroke. Garza recorded a personal best with a time of 2:44.91 and Hoffman finished with a season best time of 2:42.83. 

1. Florida Gulf Coast University 887
2. Davidson College 653
3. Georgia Southern University 472
4. Gardner-Webb University 457
5. University of North Florida 435
6. College of Charleston 237
7. Campbell University 190
8. Radford University 128
9. Howard University 122
10. North Carolina A & T State 79
11. Virginia Military Institute 52
12. Florida A & M University 42