University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Atlantic 10 Championship
Beaudreau Puts Swimming In The Lead After Day Two Of A-10 Championship
02/19/2009 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 19, 2009
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Thanks to an A-10 record by Lauren Beaudreau in the 200 IM, along with a win by the 200 free relay, the Spiders stormed back into the lead after Day Two of the 2009 A-10 Swimming & Diving Championship in Buffalo, N.Y.
Richmond's 262 points leads the field halfway through the four-day event, and the Spiders are trailed by Fordham (195.5 points), Duquesne (186), Massachusetts (164.5) and La Salle (143) in the top five.
Beaudreau and the Spiders needed to gain ground after entering Thursday's finals in third place and the senior delivered, setting championship and pool records with her gold-medal performance in the 200 IM (2:00.11). Beaudreau broke the mark of 2:01.70 she originally set in 2007.
The 200 IM victory marks the fourth-consecutive year Beaudreau has won the event, on the heels of former Spider Mary Adams' four-year reign as the event's champion.
"Lauren is a league ahead," said head coach Matt Barany. "She wasn't pleased with her performance last year and she has done the work to finish her career with pride. Her swim tonight was aggressive and I love her bravery."
But it was a team-effort in the 500 free that got the evening started for Richmond and nabbed a total of 56 points for the Red & Blue. Three Spiders scored in the championship final - led by freshman Alexi Kuska's fourth-place showing - with two others scoring in the consolation finals.
Each of the five Spiders were either freshmen or sophomores.
"We were proud of our effort Wednesday night," said Barany. "But we wanted to make a group improvement in the 500 and we felt we could erase our deficit if we swam well. All five underclassmen went under five minutes and it was a group dynamic that started the night off well."
Kusksa was followed in fifth by freshman Hannah Marlow (4:58.91) and Chrissy Brodt (4:59.36) were ninth and 10th, respectively, swimming in the consolation finals.
Senior Cara Smaniotto was fifth in the 200 IM (2:05.41) with junior Beth Ann Platt taking seventh (2:06.21).
The 50 free saw three Spiders reach the championship final and junior Alex Helland raced to the silver medal in a time of 23.43. Freshman Katie Sieben was fifth (23.60).
Sieben had won the event each of the last two years.
The women's final event of the session - the 200 free relay - saw the Spiders' team of Helland, sophomore Nicole LePere, Brackett and Sieben grab the gold in a time of 1:33.00. The win put the relay back in Richmond's control after Duquesne edged the Spiders last season.
Friday's session begins with preliminary action at 10:30 a.m., followed at 6:30 p.m. by the finals session.
