Rice University
CSCAA Open Water National
Swimmers Win Collegiate Open Water Championship
9/14/2019 2:00:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
Team Effort Helpd Owls Claim Meet Crown
Clearly for Rice head coach Seth Huston and the Owls, the fourth time was the charm.
Rice had finished as the runner-up at this same national championship event each of the last three years in a row, placing second behind Missouri last season and meet host Kansas in both 2016 and 2017. The Blue & Gray won Saturday's 15-team meet with 32 points garnered from its top three finishers. Kansas placed second with 40 points while Texas A&M was third with 42. The University of Toledo finished fourth (48 pts.) while Indiana State was fifth (51 pts.), followed by Nebraska (54) and TCU (65) to close out the top seven teams.
Individually Rice was paced by senior Sarah Nowaski finishing sixth among a starting field of 76 entries. The San Diego, Calif., native covered the 5K (3.1 miles) course in a time of 1:05:31.4. Owl sophomore Shannon Jelley finished 12th (1:06:15.4), true freshman Shannon Campbell placed 14th (1:06:25.1) and senior Claire Therien was 18th (1:07:14.0). Where each the team's point totals were based on its top three finishers, Rice was also the only school to have four in the top 20 spots.
Coach Huston, now in his 18th season at the helm of the swim program, stated Saturday's meet was true group result and a good starting point to the season.
"This was total team effort and it was our depth that won the day," Coach Huston said. "We did not get out to a fast start, but we did do a good job of staying on pace (for 3.1 miles). This was our fourth year at this meet and today was the best back-half of the race we've had - moving up, reeling people in and passing them. Ultimately our depth won out."
The Owls' swim team is next in action at its annual home meet, the Rice Invitational, on October 11-12.
Players Mentioned
