Members of the Case Western Reserve University women's swimming and diving team totaled five All-America honorable mention certificates at the 2018 NCAA Division III Championships, as the Spartans capped off an outstanding 2017-18 campaign with a 34th-place finish in the nation.
Junior Suhan Mestha recorded an individual All-America honorable mention finish at the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana, as she finished 14th in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:02.10. Mestha also teamed with senior Inez Moore, junior Alli Drohosky and freshman Caitlyn VonFeldt to place 14th in the 200-yard medley relay with a mark of 1:44.62. Altogether, Case Western Reserve competitors totaled nine points at the meet, leading to the 34th-place finish.
The Spartans' success at the NCAA Championships, followed a number of standout performances at the 2018 University Athletic Association Championships in Atlanta, Georgia. Mestha earned All-UAA honors with third-place finishes in both the 50-yard freestyle (23.62) and the 100-yard backstroke (56.09), and set a new school-record with her time in the 100 Back. In addition, the Spartan's 400-yard freestyle relay of Mestha, Moore, VonFeldt and freshman Vanya Ruppart claimed a third-place finish in the event with a new school-record time of 3:28.84.
Four other school records fell for the Spartans at the UAA Championships. The Spartans 200-yard freestyle relay of Mestha, VonFeldt, Moore and junior Bhavya Kumaran placed fifth in the event with a school-record time of 1:36.32 and the 400-yard medley relay of Mestha, VonFeldt, Drohosky and sophomore Monica Khare finished sixth in the event with a school-record time of 3:52.83. VonFeldt also set a school record in the 200-yard backstroke after she finished ninth in the event with a time of 2:01.47, while sophomore Sarah Taekman earned a school-record time of 2:24.50 in the 200-yard breaststroke after finishing 13th in the event.
The Spartans totaled 740.50 points during the UAA Championships to finish sixth at the annual conference meet.
In December, the Spartans finished first out of 11 teams at the Wooster Invitational for the third-straight season, totaling 1,984.5 points to clear the second-place squad by more than 600 points. Case Western Reserve won seven events during the meet, with Mestha claiming first-place in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard backstroke, sophomore Rhiannon Reese won the 100-yard individual medley, the 400-yard medley relay of Mestha, VonFeldy, Drohosky and Khare claiming the title in the event, the 200-yard medley relay of Mestha, VonFeldt, Drohosky and Khare winning the event, the 800-yard freestyle relay of Mestha, Ruppart, junior Kelsey Holmberg and sophomore Olivia Picchione earning first in the event and the 400-yard freestyle relay of Mestha, VonFeldt, Ruppart and senior Jennifer Eurich claiming the title in the event.
The Spartans finished the 2017-18 season with a 10-2 dual meet record, including four consecutive wins to end the season.
In addition to their work in the pool, the Spartans were recognized as a team for their academic achievements, as the team received Scholar All-America honors from the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) with a team grade point average of 3.54 during the fall semester. Twenty-one members of the Case Western Reserve women's swimming and diving team – sophomore Adi Alkalay, junior Sydney Anderson, junior Vera Bostwick, junior Renee Decker, senior Abigail Dessart, Drohosky, Eurich, senior Kaitlyn Gorski, Holmberg, junior Lauren Homack, senior Brooke Hortness, senior Taylor Johnson, Mestha, senior Mary Katherine Miller, Olivia Picchione, sophomore Sienna Picchione, sophomore Corri Sept, junior Alexa Simoneau, Taekman, sophomore Elizabeth Ye and junior Karine Zeidan – received UAA Winter All-Academic recognition.
The Spartans earned the following honors during the 2017-18 season:
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All-America Honorable Mention |
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Fairport, N.Y. / Fairport |
200 Back (14th), 200 Medley Relay (14th) |
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Lakewood, Colo. / D'Evelyn |
200 Medley Relay (14th) |
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Pottstown, Pa. / Owen J. Roberts |
200 Medley Relay (14th) |
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Kennesaw, Ga. / Haddam-Killingworth |
200 Medley Relay (14th) |
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NCAA Championship Participant |
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Fairport, N.Y. / Fairport |
200 Medley Relay (14th), 50 Free (19th), 200 Free Relay (23rd), 400 Medley Relay (22nd), 100 Back (27th), 200 Back (14th), 400 Free Relay (24th) |
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Lakewood, Colo. / D'Evelyn |
200 Medley Relay (14th), 200 Free Relay (23rd), 400 Medley Relay (22nd), 400 Free Relay (24th) |
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Pottstown, Pa. / Owen J. Roberts |
200 Medley Relay (14th), 400 Medley Relay (22nd) |
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Kennesaw, Ga. / Haddam-Killingworth |
200 Medley Relay (14th), 50 Free (55th), 200 Free Relay (23rd), 400 Medley Relay (22nd), 100 Back (33rd), 200 Back (30th), 400 Free Relay (24th) |
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Niles, Mich. / Niles Senior |
200 Free Relay (23rd), 400 Free Relay (24th) |
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All-UAA |
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Fairport, N.Y. / Fairport |
50 Free (3rd), 100 Back (3rd), 400 Free Relay (3rd) |
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Lakewood, Colo. / D'Evelyn |
400 Free Relay (3rd) |
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Kennesaw, Ga. / Haddam-Killingworth |
400 Free Relay (3rd) |
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Niles, Mich. / Niles Senior |
400 Free Relay (3rd) |
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The following were top times/ marks by Spartan swimmers and divers during the 2017-18 season:
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50 Free |
23.56 |
Midwest Invitational |
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100 Free |
51.09 |
UAA Championships |
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200 Free |
1:55.88 |
Wooster Invitational |
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500 Free |
5:17.47 |
UAA Championships |
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1000 Free |
10:55.39 |
Wooster Invitational |
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1650 Free |
18:10.95 |
Wooster Invitational |
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100 Back |
56.09 *SR |
UAA Championships |
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200 Back |
2:01.47 *SR |
UAA Championships |
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100 Breast |
1:07.22 |
UAA Championships |
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200 Breast |
2:24.50 *SR |
UAA Championships |
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100 Fly |
57.82 |
UAA Championships |
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200 Fly |
2:09.91 |
UAA Championships |
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200 IM |
2:11.99 |
UAA Championships |
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400 IM |
4:39.52 |
UAA Championships |
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1-Meter Dive (11 Dives) |
364.50 |
UAA Championships |
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3-Meter Dive (11 Dives) |
387.85 |
Wooster Invitational |
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200 Free Relay |
1:36.32 *SR |
UAA Championships |
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400 Free Relay |
3:28.84 *SR |
UAA Championships |
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800 Free Relay |
Suhan Mestha, Olivia Picchione, Vanya Ruppart, Kelsey Holmberg |
7:49.62 |
Wooster Invitational |
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200 Medley Relay |
1:44.02 *SR |
Midwest Invitational |
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400 Medley Relay |
3:52.83 *SR |
UAA Championships |
*SR – Indicates school record