Women’s swimming and diving team sits in fourth after first day of 2010 MIAA Championships

The Olivet College women's swimming and diving team sits in fourth-place after the first day of competition at the 2010 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Championships. Action is taking place at Calvin College's Venema Aquatic Center in Grand Rapids.

The Comets have collected 101 points. Defending MIAA champion Calvin College leads the field with 323 points, followed by Hope (176) and Kalamazoo (132).

The 200 freestyle relay team of sophomore Caitlin Lohr (Holland/Hamilton) and freshmen Erica Schlabach (Goshen, Ind./Northridge), Crystal Jager (Dorr/Hamilton) and Jana Blodgett (Sturgis) touched the wall in 1:41.12 to finish in fourth-place. The 400 medley relay quartet of freshman Jennie Plamondon (Flushing), Jager, Schlabach and Lohr was sixth with a time of 4:12.13.

The highest swimming individual finish was turned in by Lohr, as she finished in sixth-place in the 50 freestyle, clocking-in at 24.48 seconds. Blodgett was 16th in the 50 freestyle (:25.90). Sophomore Jessica Howard (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) placed 10th in the 500 freestyle at 5:18.40.

In the 3-meter diving, sophomore Megan Waschak (Battle Creek/Central) was sixth with 391.05 points. Junior Sara Griffith (Brighton) was eighth with 345.60 points.

Action continues tomorrow morning with preliminaries in seven events, beginning at 10 a.m. Finals in those events will start at 6 p.m.