Greensboro, N.C. -- Colton Schnars became the first University of Lynchburg swimmer ever to win the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's swimmer of the meet award, the Hornets swept the league's scholar-athlete honors, and Lynchburg's men and women swam to second- and third-place team finishes, respectively, at the 2023 ODAC championship meet that concluded Saturday evening at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Schnars won the 50-yard freestyle and 100 and 200 backstrokes on his way to the men's superlative honor. He capped the meet Saturday with an ODAC record and NCAA 'B' standard swim in the 200 back, hitting the wall in 1:48.91.
Senior Matt Fields won the men's ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete award, and junior Lindsey Hair landed the same honor on the women's side. A Lynchburg swimmer has carried one of the conference's scholar-athlete awards each of the last three seasons.
The Hornets combined to break 11 program records on the meet's final day, starting with three record-breaking swims in the morning qualifying heats as the Hornets loaded up 31 places in the evening finals sessions. Savy Borroughs topped her record in the women's 100 free, swimming a 53.47 to cruise into the championship heat. Will Kasemeyer quickly followed in the men's 100 free, reclaiming the program record in 46.85 as he swam into the 'A' final. And Chris Jennings shattered the men's 200 breaststroke record in 2:08.63, also reaching the top heat. All three broke those records in their finals swims.
The Hornets got the evening swims started in a good way, too, beginning with freshmen Ahmad Woodson and Erik Witt in the men's mile. Woodson cruised to sixth place in a program-record 16:37.51 across the 1,650 yards, and Witt followed closely in seventh at 16:37.73. Witt broke the team's 1,000 free record in the process, splitting that at 10:06.93.
Shortly after, Schnars swam away from the field in the 200 back to earn his third gold medal of the meet. The graduate student became the first swimmer in conference history to break 1:50 in the event. A Lynchburg man has won the 200 back each of the last three seasons.
Borroughs sprinted to fourth in the women's 100 free, breaking her morning record in 52.87, and Kasemeyer did the same on the men's side, finishing fourth in 46.70.
Junior Delaney Kennedy raced to a runner-up finish in the 200 breaststroke, and Jennings swam fifth, topping his prelims time in 2:07.79 for another Lynchburg record.
The Hornets capped the meet with records in both 400 free relays. Kennedy led off the women's, followed by Sophia Schorr, Borroughs, and Regan Leach to touch in 3:35.59 for third place in the race. The men backed that up with a thrilling race for second. Jennings, Tyler Caten, Kasemeyer, and Schnars swam in 3:07.63, besting the previous program mark by more than 3 seconds.
RELATED: 2023 ODAC Swimming Championships Results
Lynchburg cleaned up points in both the championship and consolation races Saturday evening. Hair (eighth, 200 back), Schorr (eighth, 100 free), Claire Galloway (sixth, 200 breaststroke), and Savannah Solenberger (fifth, 200 butterfly) all scored in the 'A' finals for the women; and the Hornets went one-through-three in the consolation 200 breaststroke heat as Caroline Marotta, Caroline Inskeep, and Grace Zalkind set the pace. Maddie Corbett added a ninth-place finish in the mile.
For the men, Owen Howery (eighth, 200 back), Caten (seventh, 100 free), Parker Hayungs (sixth, 200 fly), and Landon Ellis (seventh, 200 fly) swam in top heats. Miles West won the 100 free 'B' final, and Tobey Lima took ninth in the mile.
Over the four-day championship meet, Lynchburg's swimmers broke 30 program records, three conference records, and stood atop the podium four times.
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--LYN--
