RMAC Swimming & Diving Release #10

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Click here to view the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's (RMAC) 10th swimming & diving release of the 2010-11 season. Wednesday's release includes league performers of the week, a list of recent results and upcoming meets, news & notes from around the league and a look back conference preseason polls.

The Adams State men's and women's swimming squads were in action on Saturday and Sunday at the Mesa State Invitation in El Pomar Natatorium for a successful affair in which nine new records were set between the two Grizzly squads.

ASC finished fifth out of five in the men's, women's and overall team standings, but were the only team present no represented in the diving portion of the meet.

The women's team recorded seven new records over the two-day meet. Freshmen Kelly Erickson (Federal Way, Wash.) and Jennell Higgs (Socorro, N.M.) each bested three previous program records while rookie Amanda Angelovich (Longmont, Colo.) improved upon a school record of her own.

Erickson got off to hot start on Saturday with a pair of school records and the Grizzlies best finish of the weekend. In the 50 yard butterfly, Erickson touched the wall first in an ASC record time of 27.98 seconds, and came back later to go 1.17 seconds under the previous best time in the 100 yard breaststroke, clocking a 1:18.11. Sunday, Erickson added the 100 yard butterfly record in 1:02.07.

Higgs also put up a pair of Grizzly records on Saturday, going well under a pair of previous bests. In the 200 yard butterfly, Higgs shaved over two seconds off the then-ASC record time with a performance of 2:18.24 and then improved upon the 200 yard backstroke record by over seven seconds in 2:19.83. She capped her weekend off on Sunday with a 400 yard individual medley time of 4:55.76, a record by over five seconds.

The final women's record of the two-day meet came via Angelovich, who improved upon her own school record in the 50 yard breaststroke with a time of 37.21 seconds in the prelims.

Erickson's time in the 100 yard butterfly ranks No. 10 in the RMAC this season, while Higgs' 200 yard butterfly time is No. 11 in the conference.

On the men's side, freshmen Max Berumen (Lafayette, Ind.) and Jared Machado (Castle Rock, Colo.) were the record setters.

Machado actually claimed the top two spots on the Grizzly all-time performance list for the 50 yard butterfly. In the event's preliminary heats on Saturday morning, Machado swam a record-setting time of 28.33 seconds, and then dipped under that with a 28.03 for 12th place in the finals Saturday evening.

Berumen was unable to advance to the finals in the 100 yard freestyle, but set the new Grizzly mark of 53.65 seconds in the prelims.

The Grizzlies have now concluded the 2010 portion of their 2010-11 campaign, and will return to action on Jan. 21-23 in Colorado Springs for the Colorado College Classic hosted by Colorado College. That will be their final action of the year before the RMAC Championships on Feb. 10-12 which will see ASC head to Grand Junction, Colo. for the third time this season.

Visit ascgrizzlies.com for the latest news and info on Adams State College Athletics.