February 24, 2008
Pollock Wins Gold, Silver at Centennial Champs
Shoremen Also Win Four Other Silver Medals

LANCASTER, PA - Sophomore Dylan Pollock (Savannah, GA/Benedictine Military) won gold in the 200 butterfly with a school record time and took silver in the 100 butterfly as the Washington College men's swim team finished fifth of seven schools at the 2008 Centennial Conference Championships this weekend at Franklin & Marshall. Freshman Matt Violette (Westbrook, ME/Westbrook) added a silver medal in the 400 individual medley and the Shoremen also picked up silver in three relay events at the championships.

Day One
After a pair of fourth-place finishes earlier in the evening, the Shoremen captured their first medal of the championships in Friday's final event as Violette, senior Alex Thomas (Towson, MD/Calvert Hall), Pollock, and sophomore Chris Soper (Towson, MD/Loyola Blakefield) won silver in the 400 medley relay in a Washington College season-best time of 3:34.12. Also in Friday's events, Soper, junior Dan Wentzel (Exton, PA/Henderson), senior Brandon Becker (Jamison, PA/Central Bucks East), and Thomas were fourth in the 200 freestyle relay in a WC season-best time of 1:28.52, while Soper was fourth in the 50 freestyle with a WC season-best time of 21.72, making him the Shoremen's sixth-fastest swimmer ever in that event.

One school record also went down on Friday night as Violette swam a 4:49.31 in the 500 freestyle to finish in fifth place and break a 14-year old school record set by Dave Cola in 1994. Other individual point scorers on Friday included Thomas taking 13th in the 200 individual medley in a WC season-best time of 2:04.56 and Wentzel placing 16th in the 500 freestyle in 5:06.40.

Day Two
On Saturday, the Shoremen captured four silver medals. Soper, Wentzel, senior Eddie Raleigh (Hanover, PA/Southwestern), and Violette won silver in the 800 freestyle relay with a school-record time of 7:13.34, breaking a record that had stood for 12 years. Violette, Thomas, Pollock, and Soper won silver in the 200 medley relay in a WC season-best time of 1:37.20. Violette then took silver in the 400 individual medley in a WC season-best time of 4:15.20 to become the Shoremen's second-fastest swimmer ever in that event and Pollock won silver in the 100 butterfly in a WC season-best time of 52.25 to become the Shoremen's second-fastest swimmer ever in that event. Thomas added a fourth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke in 1:00.63 after swimming a WC season-best time of 1:00.48 in the preliminaries.

Other individual event point scorers on Saturday included junior Phil Munger (Devon, PA/Conestoga) taking ninth in the 400 individual medley in 4:34.15, Becker placing 12th in the 100 butterfly in 57.48 and 14th in the 100 backstroke in 1:00.07, Wentzel finishing 12th in the 200 freestyle in 1:49.73, and Raleigh placing 16th in the 200 freestyle in 1:49.73. Also on Saturday, Soper became the Shoremen's fourth-fastest swimmer ever in the 200 freestyle with his 1:47.71 leadoff leg in the 800 freestyle relay.

Day Three
Pollock captured his gold medal on Sunday, winning the 200 butterfly in a school-record time of 1:56.84. Soper added a fourth-place finish in the 100 freestyle on Sunday in 48.15, while Violette was fifth in the 200 backstroke in 2:00.04 after swimming a WC season-best 1:58.90 in the preliminaries to become Washington's third-fastest swimmer ever in the event. Thomas finished sixth in the 200 breaststroke in a WC season-best time of 2:15.59, while Wentzel was sixth in the 1650 freestyle in a WC season-best time of 17:17.05. Violette, Wentzel, Munger, and Raleigh placed sixth in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:21.53.

Becker finished 13th in the 200 butterfly in 2:14.87 and sophomore Dan Beadell (Timonium, MD/Loyola Blakefield) was 11th in the 1650 freestyle in 17:46.43 to round out the Shoremen's individual point scorers on Sunday.

WC Gold Medal (All-Centennial Conference)
Dylan Pollock - 200 butterfly - 1:56.84 (school record)

WC Silver Medals (All-Centennial Conference Honorable Mention)
Violette, Thomas, Pollock, Soper - 400 medley relay - 3:34.12
Violette, Thomas, Pollock, Soper - 200 medley relay - 1:37.20
Matt Violette - 400 individual medley - 4:15.20
Dylan Pollock - 100 butterfly - 52.25
Soper, Wentzel, Raleigh, Violette - 800 freestyle relay - 7:13.34 (school record)