FAIRFAX, VA – Senior standout Andrew Zinn won the men’s first ever individual Colonial Athletic Association title and met his second NCAA ‘B’ standard while freshman Cortney Barry also became a provisional qualifier for the national meet as the University of Delaware swim teams finished third on the men’s side and sixth on the women’s during the final day of the conference championship meet hosted by George Mason at the McKay Natatorium.

In the 100-yard freestyle, Zinn (at right) smashed the school-record in the event with a time of 44.42. His pace also beat the NCAA ‘B’ cut of 44.48 for the discipline, making it the second event in which Zinn became a provisional qualifier for the national competition after also reaching the mark in the 50-free on Thursday.

With his victory, he became Delaware’s first ever individual CAA champion on the men’s side.

For the women, star freshman Cortney Barry became Delaware’s first female swimmer to top a ‘B’ standard after setting a new program-record in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 16:46.33. She finished third in the event and beat the national mark by nearly seven full seconds.

Overall, the Delaware men notched a program-best third-place showing at the meet with 505 points, topping their previous record finish of eighth during each of the last two seasons. On the women’s side, the Blue Hens came in sixth after earning fifth-place finishes in each of the last two years.

Towson won the women’s event with 753.5 points, while the men saw UNC-Wilmington crowned for the seventh straight season after the Seahawks posted a score of 702.

Zinn also highlighted a record-breaking performance by the 400-freestyle relay team, which cruised to first-place finish with a time of 3:01.50. The foursome, led by Zinn, John Ohlhaver, Adam Blomberg, and Grady Carter, smashed the previous school record by over five seconds.

Carter also had a great performance as an individual, placing third in the 100-freestyle with a time of 44.88. Ohlhaver and Matt Abbruzzese were the Blue Hens’ other top-five finishers after the former placed fourth in the 200-backstroke with a school-record time of 1:50.35, while the latter finished fifth in the 3-meter dive with a score of 294.30.

Craig Young also placed ninth in the backstroke event after touching the wall in 1:53.42.

The Delaware men had five other top-10 finishes, led by three in the 1,650-freestyle. Matt Wehrman was the Hens’ top finisher in the event, placing sixth with a time of 16:13.15. Troy Sattgast and Craig Offutt rounded out the strong field, placing ninth and 10th, respectively. Joe Bruno had a 13th-place showing as well.

Diver Tom Gallagher recorded a seventh place finish in the 3-meter board after tallying 255.15 points.

Adam Blomberg also came in eighth in the 200-butterfly (1:55.18), while Michael Wodoslawsky finished 11th and Sattgast placed 12th.

On the women’s side, Emily Smathers and Kellie Pastore recorded the Hens’ top finishes of the day, placing second in their events. Smathers finished as the runner-up in the 200-backstroke after completing the course in 2:04.35. Pastore placed second in the 200-breaststroke with a time of 2:21.05.

In the 200-backstroke, Smathers led a strong group of Delaware competitors as Maryann Walker, the defending champion in the event, came in third with a time of 2:04.54. Emily Watts also finished sixth after touching the wall in 2:05.68.

The 400-freestyle relay team, anchored by Walker, Sarah Begley, Catherine Gallager, and Donna Healy, also placed sixth with a school-record time of 3:30.50.

While the Delaware men’s and women’s swim teams capped off their 2007-08 campaigns in strong fashion, Andrew Zinn and Cortney Barry now await word on their future in the NCAA Championship meet, which will be hosted at Ohio State’s McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion from March 20-22.

AGATE:

Men’s Team Standings - Final: 1. UNC-Wilmington - 702; 2. Old Dominion – 586; 3. Delaware – 505; 4. George Mason – 480.5; 5. Drexel – 416; 6. Towson – 356.6; 7. William & Mary – 301.

Delaware Competitors: 1st – Andrew Zinn, 100-Freestyle (44.42), 400-Freestyle Relay (Ohlhaver, Blomberg, Carter, Zinn), 3:01.50; 3rd – Grady Carter, 100-Freestyle (44.88); 4th – John Ohlhaver, 200-Backstroke (1:50.35); 6th – Matt Wehrman, 1650-Freestyle (16:13.15); 8th – Adam Blomberg, 200-Butterfly (1:55.18); 9th – Troy Sattgast, 1650-Freestyle (16.23.47), Craig Young, 200-Backstroke (1:52.42); 10th – Craig Offutt, 1650-Freestyle (16.26.82); 11th – Michael Wodoslawsky, 200-Butterfly (1:55.61); 12th – Troy Sattgast, 200-Butterfly (1:56.36); 13th – Joe Bruno, 1650-Freestyle (16:30.50); 14th – Dominic Pavlik, 200-Breaststroke (2:11.34); 15th – Daniel Abbott, 200-Breaststroke (2:11.57); 16th – Ross Buckwalter, 200-Breaststroke (2:15.70).

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