Craver Leads Gophers with Top-Five Finish in 200 IM

CHESTERFIELD, Va. — Nicole Craver (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove Area) picked up points in all three of her individual events, highlighted by a third place finish in the 200-yard individual medley, to pace Goucher at the Yellow Jacket Invitational this weekend.

The Gophers earned 92 points overall, giving them a 10th place finish at the event.

Craver touched in at 2:18.45 in the 200 IM, placing her third out of 32 swimmers and giving Goucher its only top-five finish of the weekend. She earned 16 points for the effort. Craver also registered a sixth place result in the 400 IM (4:55.11 – 13 points) and a 13th place finish in the 100 freestyle (57.34 – four points).

Kellyn Brower (Glen Ridge, N.J./Glen Ridge) also tallied points in two individual events. She earned the Gophers' third top-10 individual finish of the meet with a 10th place showing in the 400 IM, and she was 14th in the 200 backstroke. Brower's time of 5:14.17 in the 400 IM topped her previous personal best by over four seconds.

Catherine Gepner (West Allenhurst, N.J./Ocean Twp.) set a new personal best in the 400 IM as well, registering a time of 5:18.46 which placed her in 12th. Lillian Eden (Ipswich, Mass./Westover (Conn.)) grabbed Goucher's final two points in an individual event with a 15th place showing in the 1650 free, destroying her previous personal best of 20:42.39 with a time of 20:06.21 in the event.

Goucher also picked up points in all five of the contested relays. The best of those finishes was a ninth place showing in the 800 free relay by the foursome of Craver, Gepner, Lizzy Hannifin (Denver, Colo./East) and Sydney Patterson (Dallas, Texas/Woodrow Wilson), which finished the race in 8:52.75.

The Gophers return to the pool on Jan. 11 for a 1 p.m. Landmark Conference tri-meet against Drew and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy from the von Borries Aquatic Center.