Broncs at ECAC

Long Course Meter Invitational

ANNAPOLIS, MD - The 2012 Eastern College Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Open Championships will take place this weekend at the United States Naval Academy's Lejeune Hall. The field will consist of 36 member institutions.

On Thursday the ECACs held a new event called the Long Course Meter (LCM) Invitational, which provides the opportunity for student-athletes to swim for Olympic qualifying marks.

For the Rider men freshman Drew Peterson (Boulder City, Nev./Boulder City) placed first in the 200 LCM individual medley with an Olympic Trail qualifying time of 2:06.03.

"This is a huge accomplishment," said Rider head coach Steve Fletcher. "Drew is the first Rider athlete to ever qualify for the Olympic trials as an active member of the program."

Peterson qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 400 IM last summer before coming to Rider, while other former Broncs, such as diver Amanda Burke, have qualified after graduating.

'We are all very proud of what Drew did today," Fletcher said.

"I'm ecstatic," Peterson said.  "I can't wait for the trials. Today I was just seeing what I could do and it happened."

Rider junior Johnny Funk (Las Vegas, Nev./Southeast Academy) finished second in the 200LCM individual medley in 2:06.95, just falling short of the Olympic Trail time of 2:06.59. "That was heartbreaking," Fletcher said.

For the Rider women junior Kelly O'Connor (Beverly, Mass./Beverly) won the 200 LCM backstroke (2:26.20) and placed fourth in the 200 LCM butterfly (2:16.49).

Also for the Rider men, junior Brian Molloy (Toms River/Toms River East) placed third in the 100 LCM freestyle (52.32), sophomore Sean Newhouse (Katy, Texas/Morton Ranch) placed fourth in the 200LCM freestyle (1:57.89), sophomore Inaki Campos-Goenaga (Mexico City, Mexico/Bolles) placed fifth in the 100LCM backstroke (1:01.89).freshman Brett Pedersen (Sewell/St. Augustine Prep) placed sixth in the 100 LCM freestyle (53.42), graduate student Mike Tubb (Swedesboro/St. Augustine Prep) placed sixth in the 100 LCM breaststroke (1:07.14) and junior Julien Hensen (Delafield, Wis./Kettle Moraine) placed seventh in the 100 LCM breaststroke (1:07.73).

Also for the Rider women sophomore Danielle Warwick (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales Academy) placed second in the 200 LCM backstroke (2:27.62) and third in the 100 back (1:08.85), sophomore Melanie Leonhard (Piscataway) placed third in the 400 LCM freestyle (4:38.68).

The ECAC Championships begin Friday.

-ru-