Thiel Victorious, Swim and Dive Teams in Sixth on Day One of Patriot League's
Feb. 16, 2007
WASHINGTON - Meghan Thiel won her third straight 500 free title Friday afternoon to lead the American University men's and women's swimming and diving teams in sixth place after day one of the Patriot League Championships in Lewisburg, Pa.
Thiel led all prelim qualifiers and outdistanced the competition in the 500 free final. Leading early, the AU junior used a steady cadence of 29 second laps as she swam 4:49.52, more than five seconds in front of second-place. The win is Thiel's third consecutive in the 500 free and part one of her three title defense with the 200 and 1650 free remaining.
Fellow women's captain Kaitlin Moughty also earned a podium finish for the Eagles. Moughty led all qualifiers out of prelims in the 200 IM and swam a lifetime best and the second-fastest time in AU history in the final for second overall. Her time of 2:04.15 trails only Gabriella Csepe's mark from 1994 in the Eagles' record book.
Junior Chris Leggett and freshman Mike Toran won consolation finals for the Eagle men. In the 50 free, Leggett swam 21.04, a lifetime best and the sixth-fastest in school history, to win the consolation final. His time was the seventh-fastest overall on the day. Toran swam a best by over six seconds to win his consolation final in the 200 IM. His time of 1:55.52 was the sixth-fastest on the day and a little over a second in front of teammate and captain Dan Nagelberg who swam 1:56.85 for 12th.
On the relays, the men's 200 free finished fifth in 1:24.37.
The Eagles return to the pool tomorrow for prelims in the morning beginning at 10:30 a.m.
