GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (Feb. 12, 2020) –
Jamie McGarrigle accomplished a lot in 24.01 seconds on Wednesday, the opening day of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships at El Pomar Natatorium.
The Oklahoma Christian swimmer set a school record in the 50-yard freestyle with a time that met the NCAA Division II B qualifying standard. It also was good enough for a second-place finish, making the junior from Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., the first OC woman to earn a spot on the All-RMAC team in the program's three-season history.
Her time broke her own OC mark of 24.08 seconds, set at last year's RMAC meet in Lewisville, Texas, and matched earlier this season in the Tiger Invitational in San Antonio.
On Wednesday, McGarrigle improved three spots from her fifth-place finish in the morning preliminary race, in which she posted a time of 24.21 seconds. The only other OC swimmer to make a final in the 50 freestyle was freshman
Hope Hill of Santa Clarita, Calif., who finished 20th overall (fourth in the C final) in 24.57 seconds.
OC's other top-five event finisher Wednesday was freshman
Kayci McKinnon of Trophy Club, Texas, who had a time of 10:38.32 to place fifth in the 1,000 freestyle and break her own school record (10:39.28, set in November at the Tiger Invitational). Teammates
Mallory Mead (10:56.66) and
Cheyenne Parks (11:01.47) took 11th and 13th place, respectively.
OC sophomore
Andrea Rogers of St. Charles, Mo., was the Eagles' top finisher in the 200 individual medley, making the B final and placing 13th overall in 2:11.53. Three OC swimmers –
Hanna Forbat,
Grace Hill and
Riley Powelson – made the C final, with Forbat taking second in that race (18th overall) in 2:11.65.
In the only relay race contested Wednesday, the Eagles finished fifth in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:47.79, setting another school record. The OC quartet consisted of sophomore
Savanna Barth (backstroke), Rogers (breaststroke), freshman
Brenda Mendes (butterfly) and McGarrigle (freestyle).
The previous OC mark of 1:47.97 was set at this season's Tiger Invitational by
Cheyenne Parks, Rogers, Mendes and McGarrigle.
Events to be contested Thursday including the 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle and two relays – the 200 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay. The meet will continue through Saturday.
