After combining to break a total of two NCAA Division II records and 11 UCSD school records — while winning five events against premier national competition — the UCSD men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams returned from the NCAA Division II Championships in Orlando, Fla., with third and fourth place awards, respectively. Senior Kurt Boehm was named NCAA Division II Swimmer of the Year following his winning performances in the 200-yard individual medley, 200 freestyle and 200 butterfly, plus a fourth-place finish in the 100 butterfly. His 200 individual medley time was a Division II record. On the women’s side, senior Rosanna Delurgio led her team with an NCAA Division II record-setting 200 breaststroke performance complemented by her second-place finish in the 50 freestyle to edge sophomore teammate Emily Harlan in the event.
“We expected the first part of [Delurgio’s 200 breaststroke] to be long and relaxed and then to drop the hammer,” head coach Scott McGihon said. “But it turns out that long and relaxed put her in the lead after the first 50 [yards].”
Delurgio, Harlan, junior Sophie Levy and sophomore Andrea Lippin all broke school records in their first events on March 9. In the 50 freestyle, Delurgio and Harlan trailed Cal State Bakersfield’s Loni Burton by more than half a second, but battled intensely for second position. Harlan was touched out by 0.01 seconds to take third in the event.
“I expected us to be two of the top four in the [women’s 50-free], but it was nice to go two-three,” McGihon said.
Levy and Lippin pressed the race leaders in the 1000 freestyle, taking third and fifth places, respectively. Drury’s Natalie Cardoza won the event in 10 minutes, 1.26 seconds, less than half a pool length in front of Levy, who earned a time of 10:08.96, and Lippin, who finished at 10:17.09.
“It was expected that they would be under the record in the thousand,” McGihon said. “But it was a question.”
The women’s team benefited from its consistency through the four-day meet, as it held firmly in third place behind Missouri powerhouses Truman State and Drury. The Tritons ultimately tallied 406 points behind Drury’s 530 and Truman State’s 579.5.
Individually, constant strength of the Triton women was the deciding factor in keeping UCSD in medal contention. Levy and Lippin carried their first-day success in the 1000-freestyle over to March 11 and March 12 for the 500 and 1650 freestyle events. In the 500, Levy turned in a fourth-place finish, coming in at 4:57.87 and leading Lippin, who finished at 5:01.01, by two spaces. In the final day of competition, both women broke the former UCSD best mark in the 1650 as Levy captured third place in 16:58.55 and Lippin followed her moments later in 17:06.8 for fifth place.
Collectively, the Tritons worked just as well in the relay events, securing first place in the 400-medley relay, second in the 200 and 400 freestyle races, and third in the 800 free relay on March 11. The 400 medley team, made up of Delurgio, sophomore Susan Bell, senior Frances Tran and Harlan, raced to victory in 3:48.58, over Drury’s relay, which followed by less than a second at 3:49.26.
On the men’s side, Boehm was the clear standout on the Triton team after his unparalleled individual showings in the 200 individual medley, 200 freestyle and 200 butterfly and as a member of the second-place 400 freestyle and medley relays.
Boehm also worked with seniors Michael Baier and Devin Spicer and sophomore Tim Fuller to set the record in the 800 free.
“That was nice,” McGihon said. “We were three seconds under the record and got a consistently strong race from everybody.”
The backbone of the Tritons’ scoring was in the rest of the team. All 13 swimmers on the men’s team who were entered in the NCAA Championships scored points for their team, while 11 did so in individual events.
“Devin finally got that individual school record he has been looking for in the 1000 free,” McGihon said. “[Freshman Joel] Tourtellotte was also under in the thousand.”
The team’s sprinters, Fuller and sophomore Andy Harutunian, scored in the 100 free, the first time that’s happened at the Division II level, McGihon said.
