HARRISONBURG, Va., Jan. 14, 2012 – The James Madison women’s swimming and diving team won 15 of the 16 events as it swept a four-team dual meet over Georgetown, American and Virginia Military Institute at Savage Natatorium on Saturday afternoon.

JMU defeated American 182-86, Georgetown 175-113 and VMI 185-53 to improve to 12-2 on the season. Georgetown went 2-1 on the day while American went 1-2 and VMI finished 0-3.

 The Dukes earned eight of the top-nine finishes in the two diving events, including the top-four places in the 1-meter dive. Senior Nicole Jotso (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) won the 1-meter board with a score of 309.80 while freshman Alex Savage (Carrolton, Texas/Lewisville Hebron) came in second with a career-best 296.25. Junior Kimberly Helfrich (Fort Belvoir, Va./West Springfield) finished third and sophomore Emma Brown (Beverly Hills, Mich./Wylie E. Groves) took fourth.

 On the 3-meter board, Helfrich recorded a 327.35 to win the event followed by Jotso in second with a 315.75. Savage again posted a career-best, scoring a 315.55 to earn third with Brown taking fifth with a 243.50.

 The swimmers were paced by a pair of sophomores as Kelsey Holmgaard (Roanoke, Va./George Mason) and Shannon Dubay (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor) won two events each. Holmgaard placed first in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.90. She also won the 500 free, touching the wall at 5:11.12. Dubay was the top finisher in the 100 breaststroke and the 100 fly. In the breaststroke she recorded a time of 1:06.64 and in the fly she finished at 58.66.

 Other individual event winners include seniors Lauren Broussard (La Place, La./Mount Carmel Academy), Catalina Mendieta (Parkland, Fla./Marjory Stoneman Douglas), and Samantha Holland (Midlothian, Va./Midlothian), juniors Anna Susko (Roxbury, N.Y./Roxbury) and Andrea Criscuolo (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant), sophomore Mary Gargula (Richmond, Va./James River) and freshman Aimee Hooper (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa).

 Broussard claimed the 200 fly in a time of 2:07.10 with Mendieta winning the 100 free (53.20) and Holland the 200-yard individual medley (2:11.09). Susko won the 200 free (1:56.28), Criscuolo the 100 backstroke (1:00.10) and Gargula the 200 breast (2:27.82). Hooper touched the wall in 10:22.04 to finish first in the 1,000 free.

 Freshman Alex Charbeneau (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) took second in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:11.90. The event was won by Georgetown’s Lauren Opatrny.

 In the relay events, Madison claimed first and second in each event with junior Caroline Burns (Severna Park, Md./Severn School) and freshmen Sin Hye Won (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) and Susanne Gingher (Boalsburg, Pa./State College Area) combining with Mendieta to win the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 1:45.46. The team of Criscuolo, Holmgaard, Dubay and senior Eva Hannesdottir (Seltjarnarnes, Iceland/Kvennaskolinn) came in second.

 In the 200 free relay, it was the team of Gingher, Holmgaard, Mendieta and Hannesdottir timed a 1:37.30 to finish first while Burns, Dubay, Won and sophomore Morgan Johnson (Woodstock, Ga./Woodstock) took second.