East Carolina University
Conference USA Championships
Jenna Stewart Wins 50 Free Title
February 24, 2011 | Swimming & Diving
Feb. 24, 2011
HOUSTON --- Senior Jenna Stewart became the first Pirate in six years to win an individual Conference USA Championship, posting an East Carolina record time of 22.70 in the 50-yard freestyle as day two of the 2011 Conference USA Women's Swimming and Diving Championship and Men's Invitational wrapped up Thursday evening at the CRWC Natatorium on the University of Houston campus.
Five-time champion SMU leads the team scoring after two days with 239 points, followed by Rice (230) in second-place.
After being in sixth-place following the first day of competition, ECU (196.50) moved into third-place, followed by Houston (192), Tulane (130.50) and Marshall (115).
Stewart, a native of Winter Park, Fla., beat out teammate Natalia Favoreto and Tulane's Kayla Alf-Huynh by 27-hundreths of a second to win ECU's first individual title since Diane Parker won the 100-yard breaststroke and butterfly in 2005. Stewart touched in 22.70 to her second-place finishers' 22.97, all NCAA 'B' cut times.
Favoreto also competed in the finals of the 200-yard IM, where she finished in fourth-place with a time of 2:05.09. ECU senior Lauren Dufault came in sixth with a time of 2:06.78.
The Lady Pirates had two divers in the finals of the three-meter diving competition with junior Meghan Coyne placing fourth followed by sophomore Katie Yamamoto in fifth.
Men's teams from league schools ECU and SMU along with Hawaii and North Dakota are competing in the C-USA Men's Invitational. Hawaii leads the four-team invitational with 349.50 points, followed by SMU with 260.50 points. East Carolina (195.50) and North Dakota (177.50) round out the standings in third and fourth, respectively.
ECU senior Thiago Cavalcanti was the Pirates' top finisher in the 500-yard freestyle with a second-place finish in an NCAA 'B' cut time of 4:26.18. The Brazil native cut four seconds off his preliminary time of 4:30.36, which was the fourth-fastest in qualifying. Freshman Attilla Kiraly also earned a second-place finish.
Kiraly posted an ECU record time of 1:49.92 in the 200-yard IM in his first C-USA Invitational event. Junior Travis Stauder finished less than a second (1:50.27) behind his teammate in third-place.
The meet continues Friday at 10 a.m. CST.
