MINNEAPOLIS, MN. -- Sophomore Ben Wampler placed second in the 100 free with a time of 44.41 seconds Saturday night, helping the Williams College men's swimming & diving team to a 9th-place finish at the 2010 NCAA Div. III Championships.
The Ephs finished the meet with 160 points, only three points behind 8th-place M.I.T.'s total of 163.
"We were 21st last year we brought a very young group to nationals this year," Ephs head coach Steve Kuster said. "They performed phenomenally well, I think if you told me we would have finished ninth a week ago, I would have taken that. They far exceeded my expectations."
Wampler's 100 free finish highlighted another strong evening for the Ephs. The sophomore buzzed past Amherst's Alex Fraser at the end, earning second by .17 seconds. In the 1650 free, junior Gary Roberson swam a great heat to place eighth overall, giving him three top eight finishes at the national championships.
"Just a great meet for Gary, he swam very well," Kuster said. "To be on the podium three times says a lot. Ben broke the school record with his 100 free time and I think he may be discovering just how good he can be -- when he decides to be good, he's very good."
First year Paul Dyrkacz also had an impressive swim Saturday, placing 14th in the 200 breaststroke with a personal-best time of 2:03.96. Chris Corbett also swam a personal-best time and finished 18th in 2:05.34.
The men put a nice cap on their effort at NCAAs with a 7th-place finish in the 400 free relay. The quartet of Roberson, first year Graham Righi, first year Phil Treesh and Wampler finished their swim in a time of 3:03.60.
