ORLANDO, Fla. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison came out on top of the Sun Belt Conference for a second year in a row, repeating as the swimming & diving champions of the league on Saturday at the Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center.

The Dukes claimed their seventh conference title in eight seasons and are the fourth Sun Belt program to repeat as swim & dive champions. It is the first time a Sun Belt school has won back-to-back titles since Denver in 2011-12.

JMU won with a total of 1,067.5 points, the second most in Sun Belt history behind its 1,091 points scored last season. Marshall (974), Georgia Southern (704.5) and Old Dominion (384) rounded out the four-team field.

Jess Pryne was named Co-Top Swimming Point Scorer and Alexa Holloway was tabbed Top Diving Point Scorer, as both scored 57 points throughout the four days.

Prelims
• In the first event of the day, Jess Pryne, Riley Nugent, Sarah Pauley and Alli Straub all qualified for the A finals of the 200 Back.
• Jamie Cornwell set a Sun Belt Championship record as she took the top prelim time of 49.65 in the 100 Free. Grace Bousum, and Alex Volk joined her in advancing to the A finals, while Maddie Lehman qualified for the B finals.
• In the 200 Breast, Riley Bridgman took the top prelim time and set a Sun Belt Championship record with a time of 2:14.25. Joining her in the A finals were Ann Chappell Ellington and Suzanne Earnshaw with Abby Zindler moving on to the B finals.
• All three Dukes swimming in the 200 Fly prelims advanced to the A finals, as Abby Maguire, Maddy Coombs and Angela Ritchie were among the top eight finishers.
• For the first time, the Sun Belt scored platform diving, as Alexa Holloway claimed the top prelim score of 220.20. Joining her in the championship final were Natalie Jones and Emma LaFountain.

Finals
• To begin the last session of the championship meet, Katelyn Fitzgerald (16:54.65) and Abby Maguire (16:56.93) won the silver and bronze medals respectively in the 1650 Free.
• In the 200 Back, Jess Pryne won a silver medal with a time of 1:59.11. Her time put her eighth in program history.
• Jamie Cornwell repeated as the 100 Free Sun Belt Champion, improving her Sun Belt Championship record with an NCAA “B” cut time of 48.91. Finishing behind her to win the silver medal with a time of 50.10 was Grace Bousum.
• After winning the silver medal in the 200 Breast last year, Bridgman took the gold medal with a time of 2:12.73. Her time was an NCAA “B” cut time and improved her Sun Belt Championship record.
• Beginning the 200 Fly in lane eight, Angela Ritchie won the silver medal with a time of 2:00.07. Her time put her third in program history for the event.
• Alexa Holloway became the first ever Sun Belt Platform Diving Champion, as she qualifying for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships with a score of 267.15. Emma LaFountain took the silver with a score of 257.25, while Natalie Jones scored 234.20 to finish in fourth and join Holloway and LaFountain in qualifying for Zones.
• Finishing out the night, JMU set the 400 Free Relay Sun Belt Championship record to win the gold medal as the team of Bousum, Alex Volk, Madison Wimmer and Cornwell swam a time of 3:18.90. The time was also a program record, after it was set last season.

Program Top 10 Placements
• Jess Pryne (eighth in the 200 Back; 1:59.11)
• Jamie Cornwell (second in the 100 Free; 48.91)
• Grace Bousum (seventh in the 100 Free; 50.10)
• Riley Bridgman (tied for second in the 200 Breast; 2:12.73)
• Angela Ritchie (third in the 200 Fly; 2:00.07)
• Maddy Coombs (ninth in the 200 Fly; 2:02.75)
• Grace Bousum, Alex Volk, Madison Wimmer and Jamie Cornwell (first in the 400 Free Relay; 3:18.90)

Quoting Head Coach Dane Pedersen
“Winning championships are hard! Every year presents new challenges. My favorite part is watching all their hard work pay off and then be able to celebrate the work they put in all season. Tonight is the culmination of a lot of things – and watching them relish is one of my favorite parts of coaching.”

Up Next
The swimmers of James Madison head to the ECAC Championships on Feb. 28-March 2 in Annapolis, Md. on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy.

— JMU Athletics —