Northridge Women on the Brink of a Title

Records were not the only things to fall on the third day of the NCAA Division II swimming and diving championships at State University of New York, Buffalo.

So did the hopes of all but two teams.

Swimmers from teams other than Cal State Northridge and Cal State Bakersfield can concentrate on individual achievements today, the meet’s last day.

The team championships virtually have been decided.

Northridge holds a commanding 280-217 lead over second-place North Dakota State in the women’s standings, and some of the Lady Matadors’ strongest events remain.

Bakersfield, in quest of its fourth consecutive men’s title, has an even bigger lead, 422-314, over Oakland University (Mich.). Northridge is in seventh place with 104 points.

Six Division II records were set Friday, including two by the Northridge women’s team, which is seeking its third championship in a row.

The Lady Matador team of Jude Kylander, Stacey Mettam, Michelle Sulak and Toady Kimble started the night with a 1:34.83 effort in the 200-yard freestyle relay. That broke the previous Division II standard of 1:35.58 set by North Dakota in 1985.

It was Mettam’s 23.6 split on the second leg that put CSUN into the record book.

“I have no idea where that came from,” said the senior, who was competing in a freestyle relay for the first time. Mettam’s specialty is the backstroke.

Kimble, a legitimate sprinter, brought the Lady Matadors home with a time of 23.1 over the final 50 yards.

Mettam and Kylander were also members of a CSUN team that broke the 400-yard medley relay record with a time of 3:52.64 in the last event of the night. The previous mark was 3:54.17 set by Northridge last year.

Kylander swam an especially impressive 51.14 freestyle portion on the relay. Mettam turned in a 58.7 in the backstroke, followed by Tina Schnare (1:04.63 in the breaststroke) and Tina Dodson (58.17 in the butterfly).

Other records were set in the men’s 200-yard freestyle relay (Oakland, 1:22.46); men’s 400-yard medley relay (Oakland, 3:21.55); women’s 400-yard individual medley (Ann Wycoff of Army, 4:30.72); and the men’s 400-yard individual medley (Andrew Shattuck of Bakersfield, 3:57.73).

Among other highlights for the Northridge women’s team was a high-scoring finish in the 200-yard freestyle.

Kylander finished second in a personal-best 1:52.52. She was followed closely by teammate Jeanna Giessinger, third in 1:53.32. Michelle Sulak of CSUN won the event’s consolation championship in 1:53.99.

Schnare can tie Wycoff, who swam her final event of the meet Friday--for career individual titles (eight) with a victory in the 200-yard breaststroke today. Schnare, the top qualifier by more than two seconds, is also the Division II record-holder in the event.

In the men’s competition, Northridge junior Ted Hollahan failed to successfully defend his championship in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing second in 1:38.71. Hilton Woods, a sophomore from Oakland, came from half a body length behind in the last 50 yards to out-touch Hollahan in 1:38.35.

Hollahan will have a chance to redeem himself against Woods--who also defeated him in the 50-yard freestyle--in the 100-yard race today.

Hollahan won the event last year in a record-setting time of 44.65.

“What happened tonight might be the best thing for me,” Hollahan said. “Now I’ll be shooting at someone again instead of everyone shooting at me.”