13 Individual Victories Highlight Successful Debut for AU Swimming

Oct. 27, 2007

WASHINGTON - The American University men's and women's swimming and diving teams opened up their competitive schedules this weekend with three sessions against George Washington University and Catholic University. The Eagles posted 13 individual victories in the non-scored competition and put three new names on the AU all-time top-10 list.

Seniors Meghan Thiel and Dan Nagelberg led the way for AU as Thiel recorded five individual wins and Nagelberg three. Three freshman on the women's side notched American's other five victories highlighted by Dorothy Isaacs' three. Mary Margaret Lopez and Jessica Balance were AU's other winners.

Thiel, an eight-time Patriot League Champion, opened up Friday night's session with a win in the 500 free. Her time of 4:59.56 put the senior a solid 12 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Thiel also recorded victories in the 200 free (1:54.70), 1650 free (17:11.67), 200 breast (2:28.71) and 400 IM (4:44.60). Thiel's time in the 200 breast earned her a spot at eighth on American's all-time top-10 chart, making it the seventh time that her name appears on the list. In the only other event that Thiel entered, the 200 IM, she took fourth place in a time of 2:17.23.

Nagelberg scored a victory in his first event Friday, the 200 IM, with a time of 2:01.96, just edging out the second-place finisher, Tom Pullen of GW, by less than a second. Nagelberg's other two wins came less dramatically. The upperclassmen coasted to the finish line of the 400 IM in 4:22.64, almost a full 10 seconds ahead of the next finisher, and blew the competition out of the water in the 1650 free with a winning time of 17:17.94, nearly 40 seconds ahead of the competition.

In their collegiate debut, the freshman trio of Isaacs, Lopez and Balance proved that their skills far exceeded their experience. Isaacs' first event produced her first career win as an Eagle. Her 200 IM time of 2:12.06 put her two and a half seconds ahead of Emily Leik of GW and three seconds ahead of the third-place finisher, Lopez. Isaacs also outraced her competitors in the 100 free, posting a time of 54.48, and earned her third win in the 100 breast in a time of 1:08.87. The freshman earned 10th place on AU's all-time top-10 with her 100 free time and also made the list at 10th with her second place 50 free time of 25.12.

Lopez recorded her first collegiate win early Saturday morning during session two in the 100 fly. The freshman posted a winning time of 59.92 to defeat Jessica Miga of GW by two seconds and the third place finisher, Balance, by three. Balance's victory came during the third session in the 200 fly when she edged out Noelle Miesfeld of GW by less than four-tenths of a second with a time of 2:14.51.

The Eagles will take the next week off to prepare for their first competition against PL opponents. On Nov. 10, AU will travel to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., where it will face off against Navy, Bucknell and Lafayette in a meet scheduled for noon.