Lehighsports.com

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Day two is in the books at the 2008 Patriot League swimming and diving championships, and once again junior Dan Johnson led the way for Lehigh, winning the men’s 200 yard freestyle title Friday night at Lejeune Hall. Johnson touched the wall in 1:39.69 to win Lehigh’s first individual title since Grant Flothmeier won the 100 breaststroke in 2006. After two days Lehigh’s men are tied for fourth place with Colgate, while the women sit alone in fifth.

Johnson’s title comes a day after placing second in the 50 free. On Friday, Johnson also anchored a pair of relay teams. The Mountain Hawks placed third in the 200 medley relay with freshman Billy Dunne, senior Michael Hay and sophomore Ben Dearden joining Johnson to post a time of 1:33.71. In the 800 yard free relay Johnson, along with freshmen Andrew DiPietro and Matt Alford and senior Jon Kearney placed fourth with a time of 6:48.09.

Kearney and Dearden both qualified for the A final in the 100 fly, with Kearney finishing fourth and Dearden eighth.

The Mountain Hawks did have some success in the B races, as sophomore Kevin McGrath won the consolation race in the 400 individual medley to place ninth with a time of 4:07.42. Dunne won the B final in the 100 back, with sophomore Mike Harm placing eleventh.

The men’s diving competition also began on Friday, with senior Clark Cohen placing fourth in the one meter with 269 points.

On the women’s side, Lehigh placed swimmers in the finals of three events. In Friday morning’s qualifying session sophomore Laura Eull posted the second best time in the 100 back, 58.11, which was just .04 off the school record. In the finals, Eull settled for fifth place with a time of 58.93. Junior Melanie Rolish placed fifth in the 100 breast with a time of 1:06.65, and sophomore Julie Sicherman finished eighth in the 100 fly with a time of 59.02.

Lehigh had a successful run in the consolation final of the 400 IM, where four of the eight swimmers were Mountain Hawks. Sophomore Allison Rolish won the race to finish ninth with a time of 4:35.73, while senior Sherri Pickens finished eleventh, and sophomores Liz Murray and Anne Rodriguez took 14th and 16^th respectively.

The Mountain Hawks placed fifth in both contested relays on Friday. Eull, Melanie Rolish, Sicherman and freshman Allison Montanye put together a time of 1:48.09 in the 200 medley relay, while freshmen Kristen Keenan and Lauren Kindrick teamed with Allison Rolish and Pickens in the 800 free relay.

Navy continues to lead in the men’s team race, but Colgate has passed the Midshipmen on the women’s side heading into the final day of the championships. Action gets underway at 10:30 a.m. Saturday from Lejeune Hall.

Men’s Team Standings

Women’s Team Standings