February 18, 2010
Hajnal sets school record, wins 500 freestyle to propel H2Okies to fourth
Hajnal and Ritter take first and fourth, respectively, in the 500 free

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Lady H2Okies rounded out day two of the ACC Championships at Koury Natatorium on Thursday with the fourth-highest score, led by sophomore Erika Hajnal, who paced the women with a title and school record.

Hajnal, after taking first among a field of 48 in the preliminary round of the 500 freestyle in 4:43.77, earned the title in the event with a school-record time of 4:40.03, an NCAA “B” mark. With the title, Hajnal collected first-team All-ACC and earned 20 points. The H2Okies also had two others place in the top 10, as Lauren Ritter took fourth in 4:44.81 and Kelly deMarrais touched in at 4:45.98 for the 10th spot. Both Ritter and deMarrais garnered NCAA “B” qualifying times. Laura Simon also added a top-20 finish for Tech.

Jace Howanitz and Keri Sink earned top-20 finishes in the 200 IM, both setting season-best marks. Howanitz’s 15th-place finish of 2:02.42 marks a career-best for the sophomore, while Sink earned a season-best time in 2:03.14.

Emily Ferguson anchored the women in the 50 freestyle, finishing in 23.21 in a tie for 12th-place. Abby Barney and Kaleigh Gomes took 27th and 28th, respectively, with tight finishes of 23.71 and 23.72.

The H2Okie divers boasted three point scorers in the women’s one-meter event, as Natalie West led the way with a seventh-place finish and a performance of 264.65, securing 12 points. Sara Mokhtari and Cara Murnan finished 14th and 16th, respectively, as Murnan was the final point-scorer in the event. Mikey McDonald paced the men in the three-meter with a fifth-place performance with 394.30 points. Daniel Martin and Logan Shinholser also finished in the top 20.

In the final event on Thursday evening, the freestyle specialty team of Katarina Filova, Emily Ferguson, Abby Barney and Kelly deMarrais placed seventh in the 200 free relay with a top season finish of 1:32.83.

The women have moved up one position to fourth place at the halfway point of the championships with 144.5 points. Virginia is in the lead with 300 points, while North Carolina holds the second spot with 225 points. Florida State is in third with 172 points.

The Hokies will return to Koury Natatorium tomorrow for day three of four of the ACC Championships to compete in the 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke and 100 backstroke events. The women will also finish up in the three-meter diving, while the men’s one-meter diving finals will take place.

For updates on Virginia Tech swimming & diving, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_SwimDive).

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