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GREENSBORO, N.C. - The University of Cincinnati swimming and diving teams collected an individual championship in each gender on Friday's third day of the American Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships. The Bearcats also set four school records on the day, two by sophomores and two by freshmen.
// KEIRE DEFENDS AGAIN, BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD
Sophomore Jackie Keire (Burllington, Ont./Nelson) went two-for-two in defending individual titles from her freshman year when she captured the gold medal in the 200 freestyle. Keire swam a preliminary time of 1:46.11 before posting a blistering mark of 1:44.70 in the evening finals.
The mark was both a conference meet record and a UC record. She bested her own school record of 1:44.73. It marked the second time in as many days Keire defended a league title she also won as a freshman, as she captured the 500 freestyle during Thursday's action.
// DEPIETRO CAPTURES 400 IM, BREAKS 16 YEAR-OLD SCHOOL RECORD
Freshman Ryan DePietro (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) became one of the breakout stars of the meet on Friday. It started with a morning preliminary time of 3:50.02 in the 400 individual medley. He was the fastest by nearly four seconds and met the NCAA B-Qualifying Standard.
In the evening finals, DePietro touched the wall in 3:49.08, just .28 seconds ahead of UConn's William Franz. The mark was also a school record, topping a mark of 3:49.79 by Honza Vitazka which had been atop the list since 1999.
// BARTEL BREAKS 28-YEAR OLD RECORD IN 400 IM
Sophomore Andrea Bartel (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) joined the party by setting a school record and earning a second-place finish in the 400 individual medley. Bartel was seeded third after posting a preliminary time of 4:23.15. She then swam the championship final in 4:19.45 to finish as runner-up and clip Michelle MacPherson's 1988 record of 4:19.77.
// NIEHAUS SETS 100 BACKSTROKE REOCRD
Lindsey Niehaus (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) edged her way into the championship heat of the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.20. She made it in the A-final by just half of a second, and took full advantage.
The rookie shaved 1.47 seconds of her time in the finals, touching the wall in 54.96 to set a school record and finish fourth. She was just .15 seconds off the podium while breaking Liz Hansson's record of 55.19 set in 2011.
// OTHER CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL APPEARANCES
Eitan Holder (Caracas, Venezuela/Aviv (Israel)) and Nick Lafleur (Montreal, Quebec/Loyola) both reached the A-Final in the 100 butterfly. Lafleur had the better preliminary time at 49.17 just ahead of Holder's 49.20. Holder got the better of the championship heat, placing seventh in 48.87, while Lafleur was eighth in 49.69.
Dean Waite (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale) and Connor Davis (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) pulled similar rank in the 200 freestyle. Davis swam a preliminary time of 1:40.04, just ahead of Waite's 1:40.50, before they flipped in the evening race. Waite placed seventh in 1:40.58, just ahead of Davis' mark of 1:40.63.
Senior Helena Pikhartova (Prague, Czech Republic/Gymnazium Jana Nerudy) reached the championship heat of the 100 breaststroke. Her time of 1:01.84 seeded her fifth into the A-final, before she posted a 1:02.43 in the evening session to place sixth.
// BEARCATS ON THE BOARD
Diving action saw women compete on the three-meter board. Amanda Coffey (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek) was the top performer for UC, posting a preliminary score of 206.00 before a finals mark of 196.45 to place 16th.
// UP NEXT
The final day of competition at the league meet will see swimming competition in the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly and mile. Divers will compete off the platform before the meet concludes with the 400 freestyle relay.
Preliminary action begins at 10 a.m. ET. The mile will be competed only as a final at 3:45 p.m.. Finals action will begin at 6 p.m. The evening portion of the meet can be seen live on the American Digital Network, starting at 5:30 p.m. with the league's annual senior recognition ceremony. For live results and live video, visit the GoBEARCTS.com Meet Central page.