Spiders Sparked By Underclassmen, Seize Lead at A-10s

LOCATION: Buffalo, N.Y. | Erie Community College's Flickinger Athletic Center
MEET INFORMATION: Schedule of Events | Tickets
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2012 A-10 Championship Central	RichmondSpiders.com Coverage
Live Event Results	Live Results \| Live In-Meet Tweets
Social Media	Barany's Blog \| Facebook \| Video \| Photos
2012 Meet Previews	RichmondSpiders.com \| SpiderTV
Day 1: Wednesday, Feb. 22	Live Video \| Recap \| Results
Day 2: Thursday, Feb. 23	Live Video \| Recap \| Results
Day 3: Friday, Feb. 24	Live Video \| Recap \| Results
Day 4: Saturday, Feb. 25	Live Video \| Recap \| Results

BUFFALO, N.Y. - While Spider Swim & Dive undoubtedly relies on a strong corps of veterans, it was the squad's underclassmen who shone on the second day of Atlantic 10 Championship action on Thursday in Buffalo. Sophomore Mali Kobelja clocked a new meet mark in the 200 IM and freshman Allison Titley topped the field in the 500 free as Richmond left the Burt Flickinger Athletic Center with a 272-217 lead ahead of second-place Fordham following day two.

"We came out and looked like a new team today," said head coach Matt Barany. "The nervousness from our seniors to our underclassmen evaporated. Indications are that we can get better with every session, and I believe we will."

Titley (Richmond, Va./Saint Gertrude) opened the evening's finals with a season-best time of 4:53.82 in the 500 free. After she and sophomore Jessie Krebs (Towson, Md./Towson) paced the pack for the majority of the race, Titley pulled away down the stretch and would hang on to capture her first conference title. Krebs finished fifth in 4:55.84, and senior Alexi Kuska (Westfield, N.J./Westfield Senior) touched the wall in 4:55.70 to coast to victory in consols.

Kobelja (Fort Wayne, Ind./R. Nelson Snider) would follow Titley's lead in the ensuing 200 IM. Fresh off resetting her own meet record in Thursday morning's prelims, the second-year standout returned to the pool for a wire-to-wire win in finals with a new meet-record mark of 1:59.43. Freshman Meredith Gouger (Cockeysville, Md./Dulaney) took sixth in 2:06.08, and classmate Anna Fetter (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) clocked a 2:05.65 to come away with the win in consols. Both times were season-bests for the rookie tandem.

After putting together a six-dive performance of 242.85 to earn a spot in Thursday's 1-meter finals, newcomer Katherine Cook (Kenilworth, Ill./New Trier) continued to display impeccable consistency in the nightcap to post a third-place score of 239.70 that was just one point off the runner-up spot. She was just one of two freshmen to earn a spot in finals and the only underclassmen to find herself on the podium at event's end.

Only five-hundredths of a second would separate the top-three in the 50 free, as senior Charlotte Brackett (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) was out-touched by two-hundredths of a second in recording a runner-up finish of 23.20 behind Fordham's Brienne Ryan. Junior Lauren Hines (Roanoke, Va./Hidden Valley) followed just behind to capture bronze with a time of 23.23, and classmate Mina Vucic (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson) secured seventh in 23.75.

Richmond wrapped up day two with a strong showing in the 200 free relay. Brackett, Vucic and Kobelja would join up with senior Jill Smaniotto (Millville, N.J./Millville) to clock a winning time of 1:32.65 and bookmark what was a medal-laden day for the Spiders on Thursday.

With momentum now firmly behind them, the Spiders return to the water on Friday at 10:30 a.m. for prelims in the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast and 100 back. Finals, including the 400 medley relay, are set to get underway at 6:30 p.m.

Live results and in-meet @SpiderSwimDive tweets will be provided over the course of the week in both prelims and finals. The same is true for live video, which is being made available every day free of charge.

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