The rankings are based on each team's best dual meet lineup as judged and submitted by participating teams. The Fightin' Blue Hens men's team currently sports a 6-3 record, including a 2-1 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. They finished the fall portion of their schedule with wins in four of their last six competitions. The women's team, which was selected 23rd in the poll, also had an exceptional fall season, going 10-1 with a 3-1 record in the CAA.
The men's team is led by Andrew Zinn and Grady Carter, who have both earned CAA swimmer of the week honors. During the first meet of the season against George Mason University, Zinn recorded a school-record 20.62 in the 50-meter freestyle event. That time currently stands as the best in the conference.
Among conference swimmers, Carter has the second fastest 50 freestyle time, recording a season-best 20.84 against George Mason in the season opener. His time of 59.48 in the 100 breaststroke during the H20unds Invitational also marks the best by a Blue Hen and the seventh best in the conference this season.
Matt Wehrman also swam the CAA's second-best time in the 1,000-meter freestyle when he finished in 9:54.68 against George Mason, and Tom Gallagher notched the conference's third-best score in the 3-meter dive this year with a 300.30 mark during Delaware's tri-meet at Northeastern. Matt Abbruzzese's 283.70 score in the 1-meter dive at Northeastern University is the fifth best score by a CAA diver this year.
The UD women's team has been led by Maryann Walker, who has received CAA swimmer of the week honors. On the year, she has posted the best time on the team in both the 100 and 200 backstroke competitions. Her time of 2:08.04 in the 200 against George Mason still stands as the sixth best in the conference, while her 59.81 in the 100 against Georgetown is the 13th fastest in the CAA.
Cortney Barry has had a fine year as well, notching the seventh best time among CAA swimmers in the 1,650 free after finishing in 17:15.37 at Northeastern. Her 10:24.87 time in the 1,000 freestyle during a tri-meet against Drexel University and the University of Vermont also stands as the eighth fastest in the conference.
Diver Shannon Burke has recorded the sixth best score in the conference in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events.
The UD swimming and diving teams will return to the pool at 1 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 5, when they host Towson University in a CAA dual meet at the Harry W. Rawstrom Natatorium in the Carpenter Sports Building.
For more information on UD athletics, see [www.udel.edu/sportsinfo].
