2014 NAIA National Championships – Women’s Meet
- Dates: Wednesday, March 5 – Saturday, March 8, 2014; prelims 10:00 am, finals 6:00 pm
- Location: Oklahoma City Community College, Oklahoma City, OK (Central Time Zone)
- Defending Champions: Oklahoma Baptist University (results)
- Live Results: Available
- Live Video: Available
- Championship Central
Oklahoma Baptist 200 medley relay won the 2014 NAIA national title. Current photo: Anne Lepesant
Oklahoma Baptist jumped out to a strong lead on the first night of the 2014 NAIA National Championships, but the next several teams are a whole lot closer than we had expected. SCAD Savannah and Olivet Nazarene are in a fierce battle for second, separated by only eight points. Concordia is just 22 points back, and Brenau isn’t too far out of range, either. Both have several strong events coming up, making for a very exciting meet over the next two days.
Here is how Day One finals shaped up:
200 medley relay
Oklahoma Baptist opened the first night of the 2014 NAIA National Championships with a resounding victory in the 200 medley relay. In a repeat performance of last year’s championship, the same foursome of Lisa MacManus (25.43), Kerryn Mullin (28.75), Laura Galarza (24.22), and Emma Forbes-Milne (23.25) went almost exactly the same time as a year ago. This time they won in 1:41.65. Olivet Nazarene took second, while Union College (KY) finished third.
500 free
2014 NAIA medalists in 500 free L to R: Caroline Lepesant (2nd), Courtney Hayward (1st), Sam Elam (3rd). Current photo: Anne Lepesant
In what was essentially a two-person race for the title, Brenau freshman Courtney Hayward and SCAD’s Caroline Lepesant took it out strong and separated themselves from the rest of the field. They were both about a second faster at the 200 than they had been in the morning. Hayward looked a little stronger after that and began to pull away, outpacing Lepesant by about a half-second per 50. In the end Hayward finished first in 4:58.42 to claim the title and lower her own school record. Lepesant (5:00.91) finished second, a little off her morning time. Sam Elam of ONU (5:04.81) took third. Elam finished third last year, too, while Lepesant had been fourth.
2014 NAIA women’s 200 IM L to R: Parent (2nd), Tixier (1st), Legg (3rd). Photo: Anne Lepesant
200 IM
Biola’s Christine Tixier swam a strong race, maintaining about a half a body length lead through all four strokes. Her 2:04.48 was 2 seconds faster than her third-place finish in 2013, and a mere .47 off the NAIA record (set in 1993 by Lourette Hakansson of Drury). She also lowered her own school record by nearly 2 seconds. Charlotte Parent of Cumberlands, who was the 2013 NAIA champion, finished second in 2:05.80. Third place wento Hannah Legg of SCAD, whose 2:07.26 bettered her own school record by four-tenths.
50 free
2013 national champion Galarza of OBU repeated with another victory in the 50 free. This year she went 22.86, .13 faster than a year ago. Brooke Roy of Concordia took second with 23.09, while Galarza’s teammate Forbes-Milne was third in 23.37.
800 free relay
Oklahoma Baptist won the last event of the evening with about a two body length lead over the field. Galarza (1:51.71), Lexie Keller (1:53.74), Yulia Lapshova (1:56.74), and Ines Remersaro (1:56.02) combined for a winning time of 7:38.21. Brenau’s Rumker, Jabbia, Billeaud, and Hayward just touched out SCAD’s Lepesant, Legg, McKinley, and Thompson for second place.
1-meter diving
OBU’s Kristen Brimage (248.85 points) made it two years in a row with her victory in one-meter diving. Her teammate Tara DeWall (210.30) took second, as she did last year, while Michelle McDonald of Cumberlands (206.55) was third.
STANDINGS
Women
- Oklahoma Baptist 267
- SCAD Savannah 158
- Olivet Nazarene University 150
- Concordia University 128
- Brenau University 90
- Biola University 80
- University of the Cumberlands 79
- Union College 63
- The College of Idaho 47
- Lindsey Wilson College 33
“The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics.
In 2000, the NAIA reaffirmed its purpose to enhance the character building aspects of sport. Through Champions of Character, the NAIA seeks to create an environment in which every student-athlete, coach, official and spectator is committed to the true spirit of competition through five core values.”