8th of 9 at NCAC championship

Feb. 14, 2009

Junior David Gatz (Delaware/Hayes) successfully defended his North Coast Athletic Conference championship in the 200 breaststroke to lead the Bishops on the third and final day of the NCAC championship meet on Saturday in Canton.
Official championship site

Denison won the meet with 1794 1/2 points to 1419 for Kenyon. Wittenberg finished third with 903 1/2 points, followed by Wabash (782 1/2), Wooster (671 1/2), Allegheny (659), Oberlin (476), Ohio Wesleyan (348), and Hiram (311).

Gatz won the 200 breaststroke in a time of 2:01.23, obliterating not only the school record of 2:04.18 he set last year, but the NCAC record of 2:03.05 set earlier in the day by John Nemeth of Denison in the preliminaries of the event. Gatz's time also surpassed the automatic qualifying standard for the NCAA Division III championship meet to be held March 18-21 in Minneapolis.

Other standouts for the Bishops included junior Brad Russell (Delaware/Hayes), who finished eighth in the 1-meter diving; junior Kevin Fahey (Delaware/Hayes), who finished 13th in the 200 breaststroke; freshman Jesse Sheldon (Mansfield/Ontario), who was 19th in the 200 backstroke; junior Chris Potterton (Needham, Mass.), who was 21st in the 1650 freestyle; and senior Brian Fahey (Delaware/Hayes), who placed 22nd in the 1650 freestyle.

The Bishop 400 freestyle relay team of Sheldon, Potterton, Gatz and Kevin Fahey finished eighth.

Saturday Results