University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
A-10 Championship - Day One
Swimming In First Place After Day One Of A-10 Championships
02/21/2008 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 21, 2008
DAY ONE COVERAGE: COMPLETE RESULTS | RECAP
DAY TWO COVERAGE: LIVE SCORING | WATCH LIVE 
BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Richmond swimming team won both relays Wednesday night, jumping to an early lead on the first night of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Swimming & Diving Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. Senior All-American Jessica Witt and junior Lauren Beaudreau swam on both the 200 medley and 800 free relays, helping the Spiders collect 80 points.
After sweeping every relay in last season's Championship, Richmond picked up right where it left off in attempting to defend its unprecedented sixth-consecutive title.
The Spiders lead, followed by Xavier and Duquesne in a tie for second place (66 points) and St. Bonaventure and Fordham (58 points) tied for fourth in the 10-team women's meet.
The 200 medley relay of sophomore Alex Helland, Beaudreau, sophomore Katie Sieben and Witt just edged out the Xavier team at the wall in a time of 1:44.02. The Musketeers, who led the relay after the first leg, finished in 1:44.96.
In the closely-contested event, all 10 places were separated by just five seconds.
"As a team we trust the four ladies we put up on the medley relay," said head coach Matt Barany. "The first event always sets the tone and they got the job done for us."
The 800 free relay was less in doubt, with the Spiders finishing in 7:28.97 - more than four seconds ahead of second-place Duquesne. The relay of Witt, freshman Hannah Marlow, freshman Chrissy Brodt and Beaudreau touched the wall .77 seconds shy of the Championship and Flickinger Center pool record that was set by the Spiders last season.
"Hannah and Chrissy really stepped up as freshman," said Barany. "They're out there swimming with two, experienced NCAA-caliber swimmers and they had great swims and all four of them set personal-bests."
The A-10 Championship continues Thursday with a full day of swimming, beginning in the morning with preliminary action. The meet concludes Saturday evening.
Stay tuned to RichmondSpiders.com throughout the Championship for live scoring, free live video streaming and recaps each evening. Fans can subscribe beginning Thursday for the cost of $9.95 per day or purchase a three-day subscription for $20.95. Wednesday's broadcast was free.
