Lady Knights swimmers pick up fifth win

January 26-27, 2008

BRISTOL, Tenn.—The St. Andrews Presbyterian College women’s swim team picked up their fifth win on Sunday afternoon defeating Milligan College in a double-dual meet at King College. A day earlier the Lady Knights lost a tight battle with Lenoir-Rhyne College in another double-dual meet at Wingate University.

In Saturday afternoon’s Bluegrass Mountain Conference battle in the Wingate University Natatorium, St. Andrews lost to No. 23 nationally ranked Wingate, 65-25, while narrowly being edged by Lenoir-Rhyne, 49-42.

From Wingate, N.C., the Lady Knights made the long trek west to Tennessee where they met up with non-conference Milligan and King at the Virginia High Pool. In Sunday’s meet St. Andrews posted 67 total points which was good for a four-point victory over Milligan. Host King College prevailed over both teams with 101 points.

SATURDAY: Wingate def. St. Andrews 65-25; Lenoir-Rhyne def. St. Andrews 49-42

In probably the most critical race in Saturday afternoon’s meet, St. Andrews set a new school record in the 200 medley relay but the Lady Bears still edged the Knights by three seconds. Junior Kaley Rouse (Lexington, N.C.) and the freshman trio of Amy Tripson (Pittsburg, Pa.), Sarah Supcoe (Charleston, W.Va.), and Becky Brandenburg (Swansboro, N.C.) teamed up to shatter the school record by 12 seconds with a time of 2:08.22.

Supcoe earned a pair of individual victories by beating all other swimmers in the 1000 freestyle with a speed of 11:15.06 while also earning first place honors in the 500 freestyle with a new PR of 5:29.44. Sophomore Leslie Firth (Charlotte, N.C.) followed Supcoe in the 500 freestyle garnering the runner-up prize at 7:27.93.

Tripson earned the other gold medal for the Knights by winning the 100 backstroke in 1:21.68.

Other highlights of the double-duel meet included Barker and freshman Courtney Bertram (Acworth, Ga.) each setting new PR’s in the 50 freestyle with speeds of 29.41 and 34.59, respectively. Tripson (2:14.34) and Firth (2:50.43) added their own PR’s in the 200 freestyle while Rouse (2:52.51) raced to a new PR in the 200 individual medley. Brandenburg was the sixth Lady Knight to tally a PR at Wingate with a time of 1:12.69 in the 100 butterfly. Barker defeated all Lenoir-Rhyne contestants in the 100 freestyle by touching in 1:07.21 while Bertram’s time of 1:18.11 was a new PR.

In the final event of the day, St. Andrews defeated the Bears in the in 200 freestyle relay as Barker, Brandenburg, Firth, and Bertram finished the event in 2:06.98.

SUNDAY: King 101, St. Andrews 67, Milligan 63

Supcoe added two more victories in Sunday’s meet at King College, winning both the 400 individual medley and the 500 freestyle helping St. Andrews to a narrow in over Milligan. In the Lady Knights first ever 400 IM, Supcoe won the event by setting the school benchmark time of 5:02.29. Supcoe’s speed of 5:36.13 was also good for first in the 500 freestyle. Firth also competed in the 500 freestyle setting a new PR of 7:23.92.

St. Andrews earned two of the three top spots in the 1000 freestyle with Rouse winning the race with a new PR of 13:28.12 while Brandenburg (14:00.64) finished third in her first ever competition in that race. Rouse added two more PR’s on the day with a speed of 1:19.62 in the 100 backstroke and a time of 1:38.66 in the 100 breaststroke.

Tripson logged a SAPC win over the Lady Buffaloes in the 200 freestyle (2:15.40) while the quartet of Brandenburg, Tripson, Supcoe, and Barker disposed of the Tornadoes in the 200 medley relay (2:12.49).

St. Andrews will compete in their first Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships from Wednesday to Saturday, February 13-16 at Mecklenburg Aquatic Center in Charlotte, N.C.