Guilford's Merritt Honored in Swimming
Greensboro, N.C. (4/2/09) -- Junior Justine Merritt earned honorable mention All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) recognition Thursday according to a vote of the league's head coaches. Merritt was the lone Guilford student among the postseason honorees.
Merritt, a breaststroke and freestyle specialist, finished first on the team with 174.50 individual points and won nine dual-meet races. She held Guilford's top time in eight different events, including the 1000-yard freestyle (12:15.10) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:46.74), both of which rank second in the Quakers' record book. A team captain, Merritt performed well at the ODAC/Atlantic States Championships Feb. 13-15, recording her best 100 breaststroke time (1:17.91) to finish ninth, which was Guilford's best individual result. Merritt received the ODAC Swimmer of the Week award twice this season. She enters her senior year as Guilford's school record holder in six events.
Coach Steve Kaczmarek's Quakers placed sixth in the ODAC and ninth in the Atlantic States Championship. Guilford finished the season with a 4-4 overall record, 3-3 in ODAC meets. The Quakers could return 11 letter winners for the 2009-2010 campaign, including Merritt.