The Basics:

Score:  Women: Roanoke 869 (2^nd)  | Men: Roanoke 1,001 (Champions)
Meet: 2021 ODAC Swim Championships
Location: Liberty University / Lynchburg, Va.

The Lead: The Maroons took aim at bringing home the 2021 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Swim Championship. The two-day meet was held on Friday March 5 and Sunday March 7. After the first day, the men enjoyed a sizable lead, 553-451 over Lynchburg, while the women trailed the Hornets (496-504) by just eight points. Day two would see the Roanoke men continue to increase their lead on their way to the first ODAC Swim Championship in program history. The women would fall just short of making it a sweep as the University of Lynchburg took home the title with 922.50 points. 

DAY ONE 

Women's highlights:

• The 400 Medley Relay would see the quartet of Maddie Andrews, Sarah Virginia Scott, Kimberly Large, and Elizabeth Roberts posted a final time of 3:58.78 for a runner-up finish to get the Championship meet underway.
• In the 500 Freestyle, the duo of Izzy Mack (5:15.34) and Grace Fountain (5:17.80) would finish 1-2.
• Maria Vinson added a runner-up finish in the 200 Individual Medley.
• The fastest event of the meet, the 50 Freestyle would see the first individual win for Large when she bested the field with a time of 23.93 seconds. Then Large would team with Roberts, Hannah Petty, and Paige Shaika to post a winning time of 1:37.47 in the 200 Freestyle Relay.
• Fountain and Petty would come home second and third in the 200 Freestyle with times of 2:00.49 and 2:00.97.
• The final event of the first day for the women would feature another winning effort when Mack, Vinson, Petty, and Fountain combined for a final time of 8:01.65 in the 800 Freestyle Relay.

Men's highlights:

• Richie Evans, Connor Kinkema, Ben Tate, and Xavier Williams posted a time of 3:23.61 in winning the 400 Medley Relay, setting the tone for a big day for the Roanoke College men.
• The 500 Freestyle would see Tate pick up a one and a half second victory when he touched in 4:35.42 while Josh Rauch would miss a runner-up finish by just .56 of a second. Tate added his third win of the opening day when he topped the field in the 100 Butterfly, 50.82.
• Jacob Winn (1:57.12) would win a photo finish with teammate Davis Wheeler (1:57.20) in the 200 Individual Medley.
• RC dominated the 50 Freestyle posting a 1-2-3-4-5 finish. Nick McGrath (21.27) won by the slimmest of margins, .01 of a second, over Williams. Evans was third at 21.37 while another close finish, .02 of a second, would separate Brian Grimmett and David Adarkwah.
• Williams, McGrath, Evans, and Adarkwah would join to win the 200 Freestyle Relay by over a second with a time of 1:25.33.
• In the 200 Freestyle Grimmett (1:44.51) would win while Cole Hensen added a runner-up finish.
• Kinkema would post a record breaking performance in the 100 Breaststroke. After posting an ODAC and meet record of 56.38 at the 2020 championships, Kinkema posted a blistering time of 56 flat, 1.25 seconds clear of McGrath as RC posted yet another 1-2 finish.
• The final event of the first day would feature the men's 800 Freestyle Relay. Tate, Hensen, Rauch, and Grimmett combined to win the event in a time of 6:57.68.

DAY TWO

Women's Highlights:  

• Vinson would start the day with a runner-up finish in the 400 Individual Medley with a time of 4:33.95, just .32 off the winning mark. Later in the afternoon, Maria would earn an individual win with a time of 2:11.03 in the 200 Butterfly.
• The quartet of Andrews, Scott, Large, and Roberts earned second place points in the 200 Medley Relay. The time of 1:47.89 was beaten only by the winners from Lynchburg, 1:46.77.
• Andrews returned in the next event, the 200 Backstroke, to finish runner-up, 2:06.92.
• Large and Petty would finish 1-2 in the 100 Freestyle with times of 52.43 and 54.33.
• The final relay of the meet would be the 400 Freestyle Relay. Petty, Roberts, Vinson, and Large would touch ahead of the field in a time of 3:33.86.
• The women's meet would close the Mack posting a time of 17:58.54 in the 1650 Freestyle, finishing ahead of Fountain as RC would post another 1-2 finish.
• After claiming 60 points during the championship meet, Kimberly Large was named 2021 ODAC Women's Swimmer of the Meet.
• Vinson and Mack would claim 54 points while Fountain earned 51, giving the Maroons four of the top 10 scorers of the meet.

Men's Highlights:

• Kinkema wasted little time setting his second ODAC Championship record in as many tries. The junior would post a final time of 4:02.77 in the 400 Individual Medley, besting his own previous record of 4:04.57. Winn would finish runner-up at 4:13.84.
• Evans, McGrath, Tate, and Williams crushed the field in the 200 Medley Relay in a time of 1:32.88.
• The 100 Freestyle would see the first of two 1-2-3-4 finishes for the men. Evans at 46.13, just out-touched Grimmett (46.28) with Williams claiming third and McGrath finishing fourth.
• In the 200 Breaststroke, Kinkema made it a perfect three for three with setting yet another ODAC Championship Meet record. After setting the record last year at 2:02.09, Conner lowered the time to 2:01.90. The record setting performance was part of a 1-2-3-4 finish for the Maroons. Connor Bitz would touch runner-up at 2:10.27, ahead of Winn in third and Wheeler in fourth.
• Tate would add another win to his total with a 1:51.74 finish in the 200 Butterfly.
• Another relay win for RC would see Evans, Williams, Tate, and Grimmett claim the 400 Freestyle Relay in 3:04.16, and 11 second victory over their nearest competitors.
• The championship would come to a close with the men's 1650 Freestyle. Rauch won the event one year ago in a time of 16:23.58. On Sunday he blistered that mark with a final time of 16:13.84, giving the Maroons four record setting performances over the two day event. Jake Bowery would finish runner up in 16:59.97, just .02 of  second ahead of teammate Jacob Cole.
• For his record setting efforts, Connor Kinkema was named ODAC Men's Swimmer of the Meet, claiming 60 points for the Maroons.
• Tate would join his teammate with 60 points, giving Roanoke College the only three swimmers to post a perfect 60 points.
• Winn brought home 53 points and was named Men's Rookie of the Meet.
• Grimmett (52), McGrath (52), Rauch (50) and Evans (5) made it seven Roanoke College men to top the 50 point mark.
• With the Roanoke men earning their first ODAC Title, Head Coach Scott Thacker was named 2020-21 ODAC Men's Swimming Coach of the Year.