Bison Dazzle on Final Day of CCSA Conference Champs
February 18, 2012 - On the third and final day of competition at the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association Championships, the Howard Bison maintained their momentum from the previous two sessions en route to 20 additions to the University's Top 10 list as well as three more new school records.
In a very exciting men's meet, the College of Charleston Cougars won the 2012 CCSA Swimming and Diving Championships earning a total of 890.50 points. Davidson College finished in second with 884.50 points. Gardner-Webb took third with 717.50 points, VMI took fourth with 338.50 points, while Howard earned 235 points.
The women's championships was won by Florida Gulf Coast University. The Eagles picked up a total of 840 points, leading them to their fourth-straight CCSA Championship. Liberty followed in second place with 538.50 points, while Georgia Southern took third with a score of 477.50. The Lady Bison finished in 10th place, ahead of VMI and North Carolina A&T.
The Bison men had an all-around tremendous showing from a variety of sources. Junior Zadok Isaacs (Cantaro Village, Trinidad and Tobago) earned the Bison's highest individual honor in the 100 freestyle. His preliminary time of :46.58 placed him third all-time at Howard University. In the finals, Isaacs finished in sixth place, just missing his career best mark in the process.
Freshman Miles Hector (Omaha, NE) set two new school records that he already claimed earlier in the season. In the 1650 freestyle, Hector broke his own school record by over 20 seconds with a time of 16:31.90, good for ninth place in the competition. Hector's first 1000 yard split in the event totaled a time of 9:57.00, which is a new school record, as well.
Fellow freshman Dexter Brown (Pearland, TX) was outstanding in the 200 breaststroke. After a career-best mark in the preliminary rounds, Brown fired a 2:08.79, finishing tenth overall and placing him second all-time in Howard history. Sophomore Darell Hungerford (Clinton, MD) also elevated into seventh all-time with his time of 2:16.08 while senior Kelvin Goodman (Berkeley, CA) finished in 14th place overall, swimming a season-best time of 2:16.10.
Freshman Benjamin Skelding (Palmdale, CA) continued his outstanding meet with his performance in the 200 backstroke. Skelding's time of 1:58.37 was the third fastest in Howard history and placed him 13th overall. Senior Steven Lott (Los Angeles, CA) cracked the top 10 in the 200 backstroke with his time of 2:04.62, placing him 16th for the competition and 9th all-time at Howard.
On the women's side, freshman Briana Dillon (Katy, TX) continued her assault on the competition in the 100 freestyle. Dillon finished 15th in the preliminary round and in 16th place overall with her time of :52.62, jumping her into third all-time in Howard history. Sophomore Janai Ederaine (Corona, CA) sits sixth in the Howard record books for the 100 freestyle with her time of :53.99, which earned her 31st place for the meet.
Dillon and Ederaine, joined with sophomore Ashley Douglas (Missouri City, TX) and junior E'lan Brewer (Lansing, MI,) set a new Lady Bison record in the 400 freestyle relay. Their time of 3:35.84 bettered the previous record by 0.22 seconds and placed them eighth overall in the competition.
Sophomore Camille Dykes (Maplewood, MN) and Brewer were superb in the 1650 freestyle swim. Dykes' time of 19:19.33 moved her into third place all-time at Howard and 22nd for the championships. Brewer finished in 23rd place with her time of 19:30.12 and now sits fourth all-time at Howard for the event.
Other notable performances for the Lady Bison included Summer Davis (Laverock, PA) in the 200 backstroke. Her time of 2:18.93 placed her fourth all-time at Howard while finishing 31st for the weekend. Sophomore Nandi Ross (Capital Heights, MD) moved into 10th place all-time at Howard with her time of 2:41.97 in the 200 breaststroke. Freshman Caleah Gregoire (Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago) is now sixth all-time for the Lady Bison in the 200 butterfly after her time of 2:23.12.
Overall, the Bison totaled nine new school records and 58 adjustments to the University's top-10 list.