Justine Merritt Named ODAC Swimmer of the Week
Greensboro, N.C. (11/17/08) -- Junior Justine Merritt won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Swimmer of the Week and the Guilford College Student-Athlete of the Week Awards for the week ending Nov. 16. It is the third time in Merritt's career she has earned the conference honor and is Guilford's first winner of the weekly award this year.
Merritt won two individual events and swam on one winning relay squad in Guilford's win over Salem College Nov. 12. She placed first in the 50-meter freestyle (30:32), the 200 individual medley (2:51:82) and the 400 freestyle relay (4:58:76). The three first-place finishes contributed 20.75 points to the Quakers' 144-40 victory. Later in the week Merritt had another strong performance, this time against ODAC-rival Sweet Briar College. Merritt finished first in three individual events and also was on the Quakers' winning 200 freestyle relay squad. She placed first in the 800 freestyle (10:49:61), the 100 butterfly (1:21:84), and the 100 freestyle (1:06:42). The team captain's strong performance accounted for 29.75 points, but they were not enough as Guilford fell, 159-73.
Coach Steve Kaczmarek's Quakers are off to a 1-2 (0-2 ODAC) start and return to action Dec. 3rd against crosstown-rival Greensboro College.
The Student-Athlete of the Week Award is presented by Guilford’s SAAC, which is comprised of representatives from each of the school’s 16 varsity teams. The group meets regularly to discuss the state of Guilford Athletics and seeks to build community among the school’s student-athletes and non-student-athletes. Recent Guilford SAAC activities include a breast cancer awareness promotion, canned-food drives, volunteer assistance with the North Carolina Special Olympics and tutoring at New Garden Friends School.