FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Contact:  Robert Preston, Jr.,
              912.260.4276
              robert.preston@sgc.edu

SGC Swim Team Finishes Sixth (Men) and Eighth (Women) At JUCO National Meet

There are a lot of ways to define success. But no matter how you choose to do so, the South Georgia College swim team has had a successful season. The Tigers demonstrated that on the national stage last week, finishing in sixth place (men) and eighth place (women) at the 2011 junior college national swim meet in Buffalo, New York.

The Tigers, in their first-ever season, showed they could be competitive from the first meet of the year. As the season progressed, the team improved and began thinking about post-season competition. Before the 2011 campaign came to a close, every swimmer on the team had qualified for the national meet. With the times in the bag, head coach C.M. Jenkins and assistant coach Emily Horne knew the Tigers had to get to Buffalo.

Last week, the SGC swim team, along with 20 other teams from across the country, arrived in Buffalo for the meet. The national meet played out over four days, and on each day, the Tigers showed they deserved to be with the best teams in the nation. On day one, the women were in sixth place with 50 points and the men were tied for seventh.

After day two, the women's team was in eighth place and men's team held on to seventh. The men's relay team of Travis Jenkins, Joshua Harrell, T.J. Crossland and Les Scott finished fifth in the 200 free relay while the women's team of Stephanie Crews, Kaitlyn Ward, Amanda Bennett and Christine Postine placed sixth in the 400 medley relay. Individually, Crews earned points with a 14th place finish in the 200 individual medley and Ward placed 10th in the 50 free.

On the third day, the men's team climbed into sixth place on the strength of several swimmers earning points in their individual events. Travis Jenkins had a podium finish in the 100 breast stroke for eighth place. T.J. Crossland, Joshua Harrell and Jad Fussell also earned points by finishing in the top 16 in their respective events. These four swimmers also finished sixth in the 200 medley relay team. Stephanie Crews also earned a spot on the podium with an eighth place in the 400 individual medley while Kaitlyn Ward again finished in the top 16 in her events. The women's team stayed in eighth place.

The meet came to a close Saturday night and the final team scores had the SGC men's team finishing in sixth place and women's team earning an eighth place national ranking. The women narrowly missed the seventh spot by just two points. Indian River College and Daytona State College took the first and second place spots in both sides of the competition.

Individually on the final day, Stephanie Crews had a ninth place finish in the 200 fly and Kaitlyn Ward finished 11th in the 100 free. T.J. Crossland finished 10th in the 200 back while Colby Herrin followed up right behind with 11th place in the same event. Jad Fussell held on for the 13th spot. Christine Postin also earned points in the 200 back with a 12th place finish and Paul Poorman finished 13th in the one-mile distance freestyle.

Here is a breakdown of the SGC swimmers who finished in the top 16 of their respective events:

• Stephanie Crews – Eighth in the 400 individual medley, ninth in the 200 fly

• Travis Jenkins -- Eighth in the 100 breast

• Kaitlyn Ward -- 11th in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 breast

• T.J. Crossland -- 10th in the 200 back, 13th in the 400 individual medley

• Colby Herrin -- 11th in the 200 back

• Christine Postin -- 12th in the 200 back

• Joshua Harrell -- 12th in the 100 fly

• Paul Poorman -- 13th in the 1,650 (one mile) free

• Jad Fussell -- 13th in the 200 back

Here are the top relay teams:

• 400 Medley – Women (6th): Kai Bowen, Kailtyn Ward, Stephanie Crews, Christine Postin; Men (6th): T.J. Crossland, Travis Jenkins, Joshua Harrell, Paul Poorman

• 800 Free – Women (7th): Amanda Bennett, Stephanie Crews, Christine Postine, Kaitlyn Ward

• 200 Free – Men (fifth): Les Scott, Joshua Harrell, T.J. Crossland, Travis Jenkins

• 200 Medley – Women (sixth): Kai Bowen, Kaitlyn Ward, Stephanie Crews, Christine Postin; Men (sixth): Jad Fussell, Travis Jenkins, T.J. Crossland, Joshua Harrell

• 400 Free -- Women: Amanda Bennett, Christine Postin, Oksana Hutchins, Kaitlyn Ward; Men: Travis Jenkins, Zack Duncan, Paul Poorman, T.J. Crossland

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About South Georgia College

South Georgia College (www.sgc.edu) was founded in 1906 and is an accredited two-year institution in the University System of Georgia. Located in Douglas, Ga., the college's environment gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty. With over 20 majors and transfer opportunities, South Georgia College provides the finest education possible to the citizens of its service area.