Tartans Finish 2nd at UAA Championships

Feb. 23 – (ROCHESTER, Ohio) – After strong showings in the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard breaststroke where the Tartans took four of the top eight places in each, the men's swimming and diving team of Carnegie Mellon University finished second at the 2008 University Athletic Association Championships hosted by the University of Rochester.

Sophomores John Johnson (Allentown, Pa.) and Jeff Dahlen (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Capistrano) finished 1-2 in the 200-yard backstroke while the Tartans took four of the top eight spots in the finals. The finish by the pair helped propel the Tartans past NYU as they earned 60 points alone. Both also touched the wall in NCAA provisional times.

Senior Patrick Snyder (Marlton, N.J./St. Joseph's Prep) competed in the 100-yard freestyle finals and finished third earning All-UAA marks and posting a provisional time of 46.30.

Junior Tom McConnell (Baltimore, Md./Friends School of Baltimore) posted a time of 16:02.75 in the 1,650-yard freestyle, placing fourth and possibly earning a spot in the NCAA Championships as his time bettered that of last year's selection time.

The Tartans also had four members swim in the finals of the 200-yard breaststroke with sophomore Andrew Seo (Irvine, Calif./Northwood) and junior Brad Henderson (Solon, Ohio) finishing 2-3 and posting NCAA cut times. Sophomore Jason Huber (Cherry Hill, N.J.) and junior Ryan Hofler (Glen Gardner, N.J./North Hunterdon) also competed in the finals and finished sixth and eighth, respectively.

Sophomore divers Joe Kopko (Washington, Pa./Trinity) and Matt Kuhn (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) enjoyed a nice day on the board as Kopko finished second and Kuhn finished third in the 1-meter event.