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Pfaff Sets Records
Capping a superb freshman season for Duke University, swimmer Ali Pfaff, a 2023 Rockbridge County High School graduate, set a new program record in the women’s 100-yard backstroke and was a member of two top relay teams last week at the NCAA Division I Championships last week in Athens, Ga.
The Duke women’s swimming and diving team posted the most points they’d ever recorded at the NCAA Championships and had their highest finish in program history, tallying 80 points to place 16th.
In the 100-yard backstroke on Friday, Pfaff finished in 51.65 seconds to set a new program record in the preliminaries.
Pfaff was a member of the 200-yard medley team that placed ninth in 1:35.16, setting a new program record. Her teammates were Kaelyn Gridley, Aleyna Ozkan and Tatum Wall.
In the 400-yard medley relay on Friday, Pfaff joined teammates Wall, Catherine Belyakov and Sarah Foley to place seventh in 3:28.71, a new program record.
The same four Blue Devils finished 18th in the 400-yard freestyle relay team on Saturday, clocking 3:13.48.
Pfaff also made it to the consolation finals of the 200yard backstroke on Saturday, placing 16th in 1:53.57.
During her high school career, Pfaff won four individual state titles. Last July, Pfaff qualified for this year’s U.S. Olympic Trials, achieving the qualifying time when she won the 100-meter backstroke at the Virginia State Swimming Senior Champs meet.
VMI Wrestler In Nationals
Virginia Military Institute sophomore 133-pounder Dyson Dunham completed a strong finish to the season as his NCAA Wrestling Championship run concluded on Thursday night at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Dunham, who had placed third at the Southern Conference Championships on March 9, was seeded 33rd and won his first match by defeating Indiana’s Cayden Rooks, the No. 32 seed, in a 9-5 decision. In the second round, Dunham lost to Oklahoma State’s Daton Fix, the top-ranked wrestler, in a 17-1 technical fall (lead of 15 points or more).
In the first round of the consolation bracket, Dunham faced No. 17 Braxton Brown of Maryland and lost in a 15-0 technical fall.
Praising Dunham, VMI head coach Jim Gibson said, “Dyson has a lot to be proud of. He gained valuable experience at the NCAA Championships and was able to secure a win over a Big 10 opponent. He will be able to carry this confidence into next season and has expectations to be back at the NCAA tournament in the future.”
For more on Dunham’s tournament, visit www. vmikeydets.com.
W&L Swimmers At NCAAs
Washington and Lee University men’s swimmer Dalton Jobe placed sixth in the 200-yard freestyle at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships on Thursday night in Greensboro, N.C., while teammate Matt Fritz finished 12th in the 100-yard butterfly.
Jobe, a sophomore who finished in 1:37.87, earned All-America Honorable Mention honors. Fritz, a junior, finished his race in 48.2 seconds.
In the men’s 400-yard freestyle relay, Jobe teamed up with freshman Leighton Chapman, sophomore Charles Byars and junior Baxter Smelzer. In the preliminary round, the squad clocked in with a time of 2:59.30 for a ninth place finish to earn All-American Honorable Mention honors. In the consolation finals, the quartet clocked in with a time of 3:00.39 for a 12thplace finish.
Leading the W&L women was senior Sophia Rollo, who placed 20th in the 200-yard backstroke in 2:03.47. Senior teammate Brynn Martinson finished 28th in the 100-yard freestyle in 51.61 seconds.
The W&L men’s and women’s teams both earned Old Dominion Athletic Conference titles this year, the ninth for the men and the 19th for the women. Both W&L teams are coached by Kami Gardner.
For more on the Generals in the NCAA Championships, visit www.generalssports. com.
