ROCHESTER, NY - In athletics there is a theory that testing yourself against the most difficult competition will increase your abilities against your usual opponents; that is exactly what Jamestown Community College (JCC) men's and women's swimming and diving did over the weekend as they took the water at Rochester Institute of Technology against seven NCAA Division 3 schools, with over 200 participants.

"This weekend was full of great opportunities for our kids. It's advantageous to have a mid-season meet with much tougher competition, but more importantly for us, it was getting more qualifying times for our national championship meet," said head coach Todd Conklin.

The Jayhawks didn't disappoint, with the men's team claiming fifth and the ladies taking seventh.

"Super proud of all the kids. The entire coaching staff is pleased with what we accomplished in the first semester, and we look forward to nothing but better results in the second," added Conklin.

Jamestown's men jumped off the blocks with a huge fourth place finish in the 200 free relay. The team of Zach Johnson, Cameron Milewski, Christian Merrill, and Daniel Peterson topped seven four-year teams to take the top four spot.

That was the beginning of a fantastic event for Johnson; the South African finished in the top ten in six different events. Sticking with the realys, Johnson as well as Merrill, Milewski, and Peterson earned fourth in the 200 medley relay and sixth in the 400 medley relay in a team with Merrill, Peterson, and Samuel Hersom. In the individual swims, the sophomore claimed fourth in the 100 breaststoke, teammate Diego Villarroel came in 18th. Johnson brought home ninth in the 400 IM, with Villarroel in 12th. Flipping back to the breaststroke, Johnson was ninth in the 200 and Villarreol 16th. Lastly, he finished 15th in the 200 IM, where he broke the program record with a time of 2:07:21.

The men's 100 back saw a trio of Jayhawks swim well. Merrill led the way with a ninth, and Peterson came in 12th, with Milewski just behind him in 13th.

Milewski and Peterson were also battling in the 50 free, where Cameron touched in at 22:71, good enough for 11th, and Daniel earned 13th.

It was also a great showing for Milewski in the diving well as he broke his own program record in the 3 meter, scoring a 343.05. The new record notched him in fifth for the event.

On the women's side, Roxanne Lothian shined the brightest for the Jayhawks. The freshman captured JCC's one top-three finish with her swim in the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:12:45, Katrina DeGroff grabbed a 17th in the event. The South African brought home a fifth in the 200 breaststoke, sixth in the 400 individual medlay, and 11th in the 200 IM. Lothian was also part of three relays for the Jayhawks, starting with the 200 free, where she, Desiree Putt, Willow Chase, and Emily Swan took sixth; fellow Jayhawks Sophia Gervasio, Addison Lawson, Cassie Lyon, and DeGroff grabbed 14th in a loaded field of 17 teams. Those same two relay teams also claimed seventh and 14th, respectively, in the 400 medley relay. Putt, Lothian, Swan, and Chase were back in the water for the 200 medley relay, where they came in seventh, and the team of Gervasio, DeGroff, Lawson, and Lyon touched in 14th.

Putt and Chase also swam well in the 100 backstroke, with Putt reaching for 11th and Chase 26th in a field of 32.

"We look forward to a tremendous holiday season, where we can really focus on the extra details of what we need to prepare ourselves for the second semester and, more importantly, the regional championships and the national championships," mentioned Conklin.

Before those championships, Jamestown will be back in their home water for the JCC Invite on Saturday, January 17th, at 11:00 AM.