Hogstrom, Natoli Combine for Four Titles

Hogstrom, Natoli Combine for Four Titles

Goucher's 400 Medley, 200 Medley Relays Finish in First Place 

Feb. 17, 2008

KINGS POINT, N.Y. - Producing both the champion and the runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle and a first-place performance in the 400 medley relay were the top two highlights for Goucher on the first day of the inaugural Landmark Conference Swimming & Diving Championships. 

On the second day, another Goucher swimmer and another relay representing the Gophers were crowned Landmark champions.

And then today, Britt Hogstrom (Killington, VT/Woodstock Union) and Bethany Natoli (Alexandria, VA/O'Connell) both earned their second titles during the three-day event.

Hogstom and Candace Crasto (Tallahassee, FL/Urbana) earned a total of 29 points for the Gophers with their 1-2 finish in the 50 free on Friday. Hogstrom touched first, setting a new school record with her winning time of :25.14, and Crasto followed in second place as she completed the event in :25.64.

During the preliminaries, the order was reversed as Crasto finished first and Hogstrom was second. Crasto's time in the prelims of :25.63 was a new school record that held up only until Hogstrom's performance in the finals.

Natoli earned the first of her two conference titles Saturday when she placed first in the 100-yard backstroke. Her winning time was 1:02.12.

Today, Hogstrom and Natoli were crowned champions for the second time during the meet. Hogstrom's second title was in the 100 free and her winning time of :55.81 is another new school record. Natoli added the 200 back title as she completed the event in 2:13.74. 

Goucher had three other swimmers in the finals of individual events on Friday: Sam Sutherland (North Reading, MA/Austin Prep) and Natoli placed third and fourth, respectively, in the 200-yard individual medley and Sarah Keifer (Skillman, NJ/Montgomery) finished fifth in the 500-yard freestyle. In the 200 IM, Sutherland touched in 2:21.62 and Natoli in 2:21.86; in the 500 free, Keifer posted a time of 5:35.20.

Mara Baron (Wayzata, MN/Breck School) made it to the consolation finals in the 200 IM and placed 12th (2:33.01).

Goucher swimmers were runners-up in two individual events Saturday: Sutherland shared second place in the 100-yard butterfly (1:02.52) with Scranton's Brittany Reyes and Hogstrom finished behind only Scranton's Lauren Wieland in the 200 free as she completed the event in 2:02.51.

The Gophers also earned points by having swimmers in the consolation finals in five events Saturday: Crasto placed seventh in the 100 butterfly (1:04.57) and eighth in the 100 breast (1:13.19), Kait Van Schoick (Hollis, NH/Bishop Guertin) was ninth in the 400 IM (5:46.35), Keifer was ninth in the 200 free (2:07.54), Baron was 11th in the 100 butterfly (1:06.91), Sutherland was 11th in the 200 free (2:09.15), Noura Hemady (Timonium, MD/Carver Center) was 11th in the 100 back (1:06.97) and Alex Deffaa (Glen Rock, NJ/Oakwood Friends School) was 12th in the 100 breast (1:17.79).

Keifer and Lindsey Phillipson-Weiner (Merion, PA/Lower Merion) turned in a times of 18:50.38 and 20:58.23 to finish third and 11th, respectively, in today's grueling 1650 free. In addition, Hemady (2:25.69) and Judith Stern (Reisterstown, MD/Grier School) (2:32.19) placed eighth and 12th, respectively, in the 200 back, Deffaa (:59.64) placed 12th in the 100 free, and Baron (2:34.34) and Stern (2:37.84) placed eighth and 10th, respectively, in the 200 butterfly.

The two Goucher relays that placed first were the 400 medley on Friday and the 200 medley Saturday. In the 400, Natoli, Crasto, Sutherland and Hogstrom turned in a time of 4:11.13 to capture a conference title; in the 200, the time of 1:54.31 achieved by Natoli, Deffaa, Sutherland and Hogstrom, helped the Gophers earn 32 points for first place.

In other relay events, the Gophers took second place in the 200 free (1:43.13), third in the 400 free and fourth in the 800 free. 

Scranton captured the inaugural Landmark Conference team championship in the sport of women's swimming and diving by accumulating 599.5 points over the three days. Catholic finished second with 400 points and head coach Tom Till's Gophers were third with 328.5. Following Goucher in the final team scoring: 4. Susquehanna, 304 points; 5. Drew, 152; 6. Merchant Marine, 144; 7. Juniata, 74.