Swimming Closes 2016 Season with Strong Performances at NCAA Championships

By: Tyler Madsen, Athletics Communications

Women's Swimming | 3/12/2016 8:15:00 PM

RESULTS
INDIANAPOLIS - - Nikki Sisson, Hannah Nicks, Evyn Spencer, and Alison Strickler closed the 2016 NCAA Div. II Swimming & Diving Championships with a flourish for the Truman women's swimming team on Saturday, as the quartet combined for six all-American honors in three separate races to cap the 2015-16 season.

Sisson got the night started with her fourth all-American award of the Championship by placing fourth in the 100 free with a time of 50.26. Nicks then picked up her first collegiate individual all-American honor, finishing 15^th in the 200 back with a mark of 2:02.63. She was a touch faster earlier in the day during the prelim session, sitting 12^th entering the night with a time of 2:01.30.

Then, in the final race of the season, Sisson and Nicks teamed up with Spencer and Strickler in the 400 free relay to finish seventh overall with a time of 3:26.15. Three of the four broke a 52-second split, including Sisson, whose anchor leg was one of the fastest of the night with a time of 50.91.

With the finishes, the Bulldog women scored 119 team points and finished 12^th overall, while Will Shanel's performances on the first three days totaled 25 points for a 27^th place "team" finish.

Queens (N.C.) captured both the men's and women's championships.

Night Three Recap
INDIANAPOLIS - - Evyn Spencer and Will Shanel each added another individual all-American award to their dockets, while the women's 800 free relay unit took home 11^th to pick up another all-America award on night three at the 2016 NCAA Div. II Swimming & Diving Championships on Friday.

Spencer opened the finals session with an eighth-place finish in the 100 back, as the junior's seventh career all-America honor came with a time of 55.99. She posted a 55.28 in prelims to reach the A-final, while Hannah Nicks (56.76) and Alison Strickler (57.31) finished 20^th and 24^th, respectively, during the morning prelims.

Will Shanel then won the B-final, finishing ninth overall in the 200 fly with a time of 1:47.57. He was nearly a full second faster than runner-up Raul Garrastazu of Florida Southern, while his time was the seventh-fastest overall during the finals. He earned his third all-time all-American honor and second of the 2016 Championships.

At the end of the morning session, the Bulldog quartet of Nikki Sisson, Jamie Fitzpatrick, Jasmine Roghair, and Emma Barnett clocked a time of 7:31.38 in the 800 free relay which eventually landed the Bulldogs 11^th overall in the event.

Entering the final day, the Bulldog women have accumulated 78 team points (13^th place), while Shanel has earned 25 points with his three top-16 finishes this week.

Night Two Recap
INDIANAPOLIS - - The Truman women's swimming's 200 free relay squad broke a school record, while sophomore Will Shanel finished third in the 400 individual medley to highlight night two at the 2016 NCAA Div. II Swimming & Diving Championships on Thursday night.

Opening the night, the quartet of junior Evyn Spencer, sophomore Jamie Fitzpatrick, junior Alison Strickler, and sophomore Nikki Sisson cracked the previous school-best with a fifth-place time of 1:32.57. Individually, both Strickler and Sisson cracked a sub-23 second 50 free interval, as the Bulldogs came within just three-fourths of a second from a national title. It was the first career all-American honor for Fitzpatrick and Strickler, while Sisson picked up her second all-America honor in as many nights.

Spencer would then tack on her second all-America honor of the night, third of the Championship, and sixth overall later in the 100 butterfly, as she won the B-final with a time of 54.86. Junior Hannah Nicksfinished 23^rd in the event with a prelim time of 56.56.

Shanel became a two-time all-American, doing so once again in the 400 IM, as he jumped to third place after a fifth-place finish as a freshman a year ago. This season, he finished with a time of 3:49.23 to pick up 16 points.

Fitzpatrick and Strickler would also become two-time all-Americans, while juniors Ally Neumann and Nicks picked up their first all-America honors in the 400 medley relay, as the group finished with a 16^th-place mark of 3:51.77. The group swam a time of 3:51.30 in the prelims, but still added two team points to Truman's total.

Through the second night, the Bulldog women are 13^th in the team competition with 55 points. Queens (N.C.) holds the lead on both the men's and women's sides.

Night One Recap
INDIANAPOLIS - - Junior Evyn Spencer and sophomore Nikki Sisson earned all-America status on day one at the 2016 NCAA Div. II Swimming & Diving Championships, as the Bulldogs kicked off the four-day event by competing in four events.

Spencer took home the top finish of any Bulldog on night one, finishing with an eighth-place time of 2:05.20 in the 200 individual medley after posting a 7^th-best prelim time earlier in the day of 2:03.16 to reach the A-final. It gives the junior her fourth all-American honor of her career.

Sisson reached the B-final in the 50 freestyle by swimming a 23.37 in the morning prelims and then took home 12^th place with a time of 23.43 in the finals. The finish gave her the first all-America honor of her career.

Hannah Nicks (32^nd in 200 IM; 2:08.62), Jamie Fitzpatrick (49^th in 50 free; 24.13), Alison Strickler (51^stin 50 free; 24.16), and Will Shanel (20^th in men's 200 IM; 1:50.10) also competed in the morning prelims, while the four-member team of Spencer, Ally Neumann, Nicks, and Strickler took 17^th in the 200 medley relay (1:45.70) – just missing the B-final by less than 0.75 seconds.

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Players Mentioned

Jamie Fitzpatrick: Free/Fly/Back; Sophomore

Ally Neumann: Breast/Fly/IM; Junior

Hannah Nicks: Free/Back/IM; Junior

Jasmine Roghair: Free; Sophomore

Nikki Sisson: Free; Sophomore

Evyn Spencer: Free/Back/Fly/IM; Junior

Alison Strickler: Free/Back; Junior

Emma Barnett: Free/Back/IM; Freshman

Will Shanel: Free/Fly/IM; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Jamie Fitzpatrick
: Sophomore
: Free/Fly/Back

Ally Neumann
: Junior
: Breast/Fly/IM

Hannah Nicks
: Junior
: Free/Back/IM

Jasmine Roghair
: Sophomore
: Free

Nikki Sisson
: Sophomore
: Free

Evyn Spencer
: Junior
: Free/Back/Fly/IM

Alison Strickler
: Junior
: Free/Back

Emma Barnett
: Freshman
: Free/Back/IM

Will Shanel
: Sophomore
: Free/Fly/IM