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Harvard Places Three on CollegeSwimming.com Men's Mid-Major All-America Team
Courtesy: Harvard Athletic Communications
          Release: 04/21/2008

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Juniors Bill Jones and Eric Lynch and senior Geoff Rathgeber of the Harvard men's swimming and diving team were named to the CollegeSwimming.com Division I Men's Mid-Major All-America Team, the website announced Monday.

The trio was joined by six others from Harvard who earned All-America honorable mention status, including sophomore Mason Brunnick, freshman Jordan Diekema, junior David Guernsey, junior Dan Jones, senior Pat Quinn and senior Sam Wollner.

Bill Jones was a five-time Ivy champion this season after winning the 100 fly, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay and 800 freestyle relay. At the team's award banquet in April, Jones was presented with the Reid Jorgensen Trophy as the team's most improved junior. Jones qualified for the NCAA championships, placing 23rd in the 100 butterfly (47.35) and 25th in the 200 butterfly (1:46.12) preliminaries.

Lynch won the 1000 freestyle and the 1650 freestyle at the EISL Championship. The junior went on to place 18th at the NCAA championships in the finals of the 1650 freestyle event with a time of 15:11.36. He also competed in the 500 freestyle event, touching the wall in 4:24.03 for 35th. Lynch and Guernsey will serve as Harvard's team captains in 2008-09.

Rathgeber was honored earlier this season with the Philip Moriarty Award as the Most Outstanding Swimmer at the Ivy League Championship, as well as the Harold Ulen Award for most career points. Rathgeber picked up seven All-Ivy first-team selections, leading a group of 10 Crimson swimmers that earned All-Ivy League distinction. At nationals, he earned All-America status in the 200 IM (1:45.61) and All-America honorable mention in the 400 IM (3:47.65). Rathgeber was named to the CollegeSwimming.com All-America Team for the second time.

Quinn earned four All-Ivy first-team honors this year as a member of the 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 200 medley and 400 medley relay squads. He also broke a 15-year old Harvard record in the 100 freestyle en route to earning a spot on the CollegeSwimming.com All-America honorable mention squad.

Wollner took home the Eugene B. Wyman Trophy as Harvard's top scorer in dual meets. Wollner was a three-time All-Ivy League first-team selection this season after winning the 500 freestyle, 1000 freestyle and 800 freestyle relay.

Dan Jones helped Harvard win the annual HYP meet with a second-place finish in the 200 butterfly (1:47.73) and was on the 400 medley relay squad that also came in second (3:22.56). After swimming with the 200 medley relay team that took third (1:32.65), Jones finished fourth in the 100 butterfly, grabbing the wall in 49.38.

Brunnick was part of the event-winning 800 free relay squad at the EISL Championship, while Diekema was a three-time All-Ivy swimmer, winning the 200 backstroke, as well as the 200 medley and 400 medley relay events.

Guernsey was a member of the 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay and 800 freestyle relay champions, becoming a three-time All-Ivy pick.

Harvard capped a perfect season with the EISL and ECAC titles. The Crimson placed 31st at nationals and was 9-0 overall in 2007-08 in dual meets, including an 8-0 mark in the EISL and 7-0 in the Ivy League.