12/3/05
Hello from Athens Georgia. The team is making a good mid-season showing at the Georgia Invitational. For meet results visit the Athletic Department
web-site at: http://gocrimson.collegesports.com

Crimson Third After Day 1 at Georgia

Rathgeber, 400 medley relay team make NCAA

Dec. 2, 2005

Results

ATHENS, Ga. - Members of the Harvard men's swimming and diving team placed in every individual event, and both relay teams finished in the top three to lead the Crimson to third place after the first day of the Bulldog Invitational, a three-day meet hosted by Georgia and featuring three of the top 17 teams in the nation.

With 168 points, Harvard sits 21 points ahead of No. 17 Virginia and 29 ahead of South Carolina. The competition is tight at the top, with the 11th-ranked host Bulldogs hold a 283-282 lead on No. 12 Tennessee. No. 1 Auburn is competing only in the diving events.

Sophomore Geoff Rathgeber provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in two events, including his third-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley. He had the meet's fastest morning preliminary time of 1:50.33, then improved to 1:48.75 in the final to make the NCAA "B" cut.

Rathgeber also helped Harvard make the "B" cut in the final event of the evening, the 400 medley relay. Senior backstroker David Cromwell started the race and was followed by Rathgeber, freshman Bill Jones and senior Mark Knepley. Knepley swam his freestyle leg in 45.17 to pass Virginia's top relay squad and finish in second in 3:17.97. Tennessee won the race.

The 200 free relay team of Cromwell, sophomore Pat Quinn, Rathgeber and Knepley placed third in 1:21.63, trailing Georgia and Tennessee and ahead of South Carolina and Virginia.
 

 

Cromwell also scored individually, taking sixth in the 50 free in 20.94 seconds. Harvard used its depth in the event as freshman David Guernsey placed12th, Quinn was 13th and sophomore Brendan Mitchell finished 16th. The trio combined for 10 points, giving the Crimson 23 from that event.

Senior Danil Rybalko placed fifth in the three-meter diving with 304.85 points. Sophomore Sam Wollner and freshman Eric Lynch both scored points in the 500 free. Wollner placed seventh in 4:29.91, while Lynch was 10th with a time of 4:31.65.

The meet continues with Saturday's preliminaries at 9:30 a.m., followed by finals at 5 p.m. Sunday's sessions will be at 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Bulldog Invitational Day 1 Team Standings
1. Georgia 283
2. Tennessee 282
3. Harvard 168
4. Virginia 147
5. South Carolina 139
6. Auburn Diving 16

DAY 2
Cromwell Wins; Harvard Holds Strong at Third
Senior co-captain David Cromwell won one race and placed third in another, both in NCAA Championship provisional qualifying times, to help the Harvard men's swimming and diving team remain in third place after the second day of competition Saturday in the Bulldog Invitational at Gabrielsen Natatorium. Sophomore Geoff Rathgeber also placed in two events, and he and Cromwell helped Harvard place third in the 200-yard medley relay.

 
                    Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 56                     
 
  1. University of Tennessee           702.5   2. University of Georgia               700
  3. Harvard University Men            415.5   4. University of Virginia              388
  5. University of South Carolina        336   6. Auburn University Diving             44
  7. Ucla                                 34   8. Miami University                     14