Jan. 12, 2008
After a one-month break, the La Salle men's and women's swimming and diving team had a strong showing at the Rhode Island Invitational. The men's team earned a second-place finish, while the women took third in the two-day event.
On the men's side, Grant Chin earned a pair of first place finishes, winning the gold in both the 400-yard IM and the 200-yard breaststroke. Chin would also place second in the 200-yard IM. In the 200-breast, fellow Explorers Chris Tiano and David Ellerson rounded out the top-three spots. Ellerson would later take first in the 100-yard breaststroke, while Tiano finished second.
Owen Black had an impressive performance, taking first in the 200-yard freestyle. Teammates Chris Cefalo and John Welsh placed second and third, respectively, in the event. Black additionally earned a second-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle, clocking in at a time of 48.98, fractions of a second off of the top spot.
Brandon Hargraves rounded out the first-place finishes for the Explorers, winning the gold in the 1,000-yard freestyle.
The Explorer relay teams had an impressive showing, as the quartet of Stuart Barr, Dustin Gibb, Welsh and Cefalo took first in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Welsh, Black, Cefalo and Ellerson combined to win the 400-yard freestyle relay.
In the women's portion of the event, Shannon Duval and Carleen Caldwell each earned three first-place finishes to pace the Explorers. Duval took the gold in the 200-yard IM, 400-yard IM and the 200-yard breaststroke, while Caldwell finished first in the 50, 100 and 200-yard freestyle events. Freshman teammate Holly Biro finished behind Caldwell in both the 50-free and 100-free.
Freshman Jess Carbin placed first in both the 100-yard backstroke and the 200-yard backstroke. Dana Reis had a pair of first-place finishes, taking the gold in both the 500 and 1,000-yard freestyle events. Her sister Megan took second in the 1,000-free.
The Explorer women also had a fine performance in the relay events, earning victories in the 200-yard medley, 400-yard medley and the 400-yard freestyle.
The Explorers will return to Kirk Pool next weekend, when they host Atlantic 10 rival Fordham.
