By John Manley
Erica Carroll, a sophomore at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, was named NCAA Div. III Swimmer of the Year at the recent national championships at Miami University of Ohio.
Carroll became the first woman in NCAA history to place first in four events in one night. She set a record in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:01:78. She also smashed the 11-year-old record in the 100-yard butterfly, finishing in 56:16. She finished first in the 100 backstroke in 56:96, the 800 freestyle relay, the 400 yard freestyle relay and the 400 medley relay.
Carroll is the daughter of Florence (Flannery) Carroll, from Charlestown, Co. Mayo, and Buddy Carroll, from Knocknagoshel, Co. Kerry.
Tennis
The University of California’s women’s tennis team, ranked fourth in the country, lost its first match of the season last week, but Claire Curran was spotless. The junior from Dublin enjoyed St. Patrick’s Day with a victory at fifth singles over Purdue’s Lisa Walgenbach, 6-1, 6-3, then joined Anita Kurimay at second doubles to upend Erika Quebe and Shannon Taheny, 9-7. California won the match, 6-3.
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The University of San Diego, ranked 37th, hung an "L" on the Golden Bears by a 5-4 score. Curran took care of Heather Polumbus at fifth singles, 6-2, 6-2, and teamed with Kurimay to defeat Paola Arrangoiz and Krista Manning at second doubles, 8-2.
The Golden Bears then crossed town to take on San Diego State the next day, which resulted in a 6-3 win. Curran bounced back from a first set loss to defeat Laura Aguero, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 at fifth singles. Curran and Kurimay were victorious at second doubles over Lisa Papi and Whitney Wells, 8-4.
. The Rice University men’s team won its own Invitational tournament for the third straight year, with Dublin junior Robert Collins playing second singles and second doubles. Day one saw Collins disposing of Columbia’s Salil Seshadri, 6-3, 6-4, and joining Prakash Venkataraman to record an 8-6 win over Scott Watnik and Pavle Jefferson. Rice won the match, 5-2.
Day Two was more of the same, only this time Collins’s victim was West Virginia’s James Kent, 6-4, 6-3. In doubles play, Kent and Guillaume Raux fell, 8-4. Rice prevailed, 5-2.
Rice won the tournament over Texas-Arlington in the final round, 4-3, although Collins lost both his matches. Andy Leber defeated him, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3. Collins and Venkataraman lost to Tomasz Zarzeczny and Mattias Larsson, 8-5.
Indiana’s men’s squad pulled a surprise on the first stop of its southern road trip when it knocked off 20th-ranked Louisiana State, 4-3. George McGill, a junior from Castleroy, Co. Limerick, won a straight sets victory from Jonas Samuelsson at third singles, 6-2, 6-2.
Harvard, ranked 16th, glided through the first round of the Blue Gray National Collegiate Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Ala. over Boise State, 4-1. John Doran defeated Ryan Thompson, 6-4, 6-1, in a match at third singles, while Joe Green needed a tiebreaker to overcome Ronald Rugimbana at fifth singles, 6-4, 7-6(3). Doran and Cillie Swart lost a third doubles pairing to Rugimbana and Andrew Roumieh, 8-1. Doran and Green are both juniors from Dublin.
It was Harvard’s turn to endure the short end of a 4-1 decision in the next round, courtesy of Virginia. Doran took care of business at third singles, defeating John Winter, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-1, but Green lost to Tommy Croker in the fifth slot, 6-2, 7-6(3). Doran and Swart once again dropped a third doubles match, 8-6, to Brian Hunter and Hyon Yoo.
The Crimson consoled themselves with a 4-2 victory over Northwestern in their final match, earning fifth place. Doran won again at third singles over Brad Erickson, 6-2, 6-4. Green stepped up to fourth singles, where he dealt Derrick Nyugen a 7-6(9), 6-4 defeat.