ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University junior Julie Widmann (Littleton, Colo./Heritage) won the national championship in the 100 backstroke to headline the Eagles' performance in the third day of the NCAA Championships in Mansfield, Texas, Friday (March 16) night.
Widmann, the top seed entering the finals, clocked in at 54.66 seconds – a school record performance, scoring 20 points for the Eagles.
It was Widmann's third national title, her first in the 100 backstroke. In her freshman and sophomore seasons, she was a member of 200 freestyle relay teams that won national titles.
Sophomore Sara Reidler (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln) finished eighth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.42 seconds, qualifying for All-America status.
Through three days of competition, the AU women sit in ninth place with 116 points. Wayne State leads the field with 392. UC-San Diego is second and Drury is third.
On the men's side, junior Cheyne Fisher (Durban, South Africa/Westville) became an All-American with an eighth place finish in the 100 breaststroke. He touched in at 55.04 seconds.
Junior Tyler Remmel (Hubertus, Wis./Hertford Union) came in just .08 behind his teammate and finished 11th in the 100 breaststroke.
The AU men rank 16th at the national meet with one day of events to go. Drury leads the men's side, ahead of UC-San Diego and Wingate.
The meet wraps up on Saturday (March 17) at the Mansfield ISD Natatorium with prelims at 10:30 a.m. and finals commencing at 6 p.m.
Fans can follow the event's results at the following link: LIVE RESULTS
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