Augusta Lewis Finishes Third in 200 IM on First Day of NCAA Championships

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Senior Augusta Lewis broke her own school record by over one second to take third place in the 200-yard individual medley on the first day of the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships at the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI.

Lewis, who is the top seed in the 400 IM tomorrow, finished eighth in prelims with a 2:02.39 to earn the last spot in the final, but then uncorked the top swim of her career with a 2:01.21 to come in third, just edging Sophia Verkleeren of Williams in 2:01.29 and Molly Craig of Williams in 2:01.44.

Jameson Mitchum also came in tenth in the 200 IM with a second place finish in the consolation final with a 2:03.59, which moves her into second place in CMS history behind Lewis. 

The Athenas also had a strong showing in the 200 medley relay by winning the consolation heat to come in ninth (after standing in 16th place after prelims). Mitchum swam the backstroke leg, Rachel Wander swam the breaststroke, Katelyn Dang the butterfly, and Ava Sealander anchored as the Athenas edged out Johns Hopkins by two-hundredths of a second. 

CMS stands in seventh place after the first day of competition with 41 points. Kenyon leads with 100, followed by Denison with 94 and Emory with 91. 

Lewis, who is the top seed nationally in the 400 IM, will head back to the pool tomorrow to try to become the first CMS women's swimming and diving national champion since Annie Perizzolo swept the breaststroke events in 2010.