Day One Results - Individual | Team Scores

SHENANDOAH, Texas – The Gettysburg College men's swimming team opened the 2015 NCAA Division III Championship in thrilling fashion on Day One of the national meet Wednesday evening in the CISD Natatorium.
 
Senior Jason Potter (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) raced to national runner-up honors in the 50-freestyle, tying the best finish at NCAAs in Gettysburg men's swimming history, then anchored the 200-medley relay that captured eighth place. Both Potter and the relay team earned First Team All-America recognition by virtue of their top-eight finish.
 
Potter, senior Mike Harmon (Shippensburg, Pa./home-schooled), freshman Tyler Dougherty (West Chester, Pa./Salesianum School [Del.]), and junior Tyler Gould (Darien, Conn./Darien) teamed up to become the first medley relay team to All-America honors in program history.
 
Both Potter and the medley relay teams shattered their own school records in both events in the morning's preliminary session.
 
Through the meet's first four events, the Bullets have earned 39 points and find themselves in ninth place among 29 teams that scored a point.
 
Potter punched his ticket into Wednesday night's championship final with a record-setting showing in the morning's preliminary session. He cranked out a time of 19.93 to slice 0.17 seconds from his own school record and place second overall while becoming the first Bullet to break 20 seconds in the event. Then in the final, he finished behind only Jesse Novak of Rowan University while going sub-20 once again, touching the wall in 19.97. The NCAA bronze medalist in the event last season, Potter became the first Bullet in program history to earn All-America honors in four different years, and less than an hour later, Harmon captured the same distinction in the medley relay.
 
Potter remains just the third Gettysburg men's swimmer to earn First Team All-America honors in an individual event, joining Mark Kaylor '80, who also finished second in the 50-freestyle in 1979, and Matt McKenna '95, who came in seventh in the 100-backstroke in 1995.
 
In prelims of the 200-medley relay, the Bullets slashed 1.41 seconds from their previous school and Centennial Conference record, as Potter rallied the Bullets from the middle of the pack to second place in their heat and seventh overall with a time of 1:30.25. Then in the final, the foursome once again bettered their previous record, finishing in 1:30.35.
 
In other preliminary action Wednesday morning, Dougherty placed 18th with a personal season-best time of 20.49 in the 50-freestyle while Harmon took 21st in the 200-IM (1:51.88).
 
Potter is now a 14-time All-American – the most in program history – while Harmon has captured eight All-America awards.
 
All five Gettysburg swimmers who made the trip will compete on Day Two of the four-day meet on Thursday beginning with preliminaries at 11 a.m. EST. Potter, Gould, senior Ashton Leyens (Fort Washington, Pa./Upper Dublin), and Harmon will swim in the 200-freestyle relay while Leyens and Potter will also compete in the 200-freestyle. In addition, Harmon, Dougherty, Gould, and Potter will swim in the 400-medley relay.
 
NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships – Day 1 Gettysburg Results
2. Jason Potter, 50-freestyle, 19.97 (19.93 in prelims)
8. 200-medley relay (Mike Harmon, Tyler Dougherty, Tyler Gould, Jason Potter), 1:30.35 (1:30.25 in prelims)
18. Tyler Dougherty, 50-freestyle, 20.49
21. Mike Harmon, 200-IM, 1:51.88