Simmons College Swimming & Diving was named Great Northeast Athletic Conference Champion of 2008. The win, Simmons' fifth in a row, and seventh in eight years, capped the two-day meet where three GNAC records and two pool records fell. More than 100 athletes from the conference's seven teams gathered at the Simmons College Holmes Sports and Fitness Center to race for the championship title.

The 200-yard Freestyle Relay from Saint Joseph College of Connecticut (Sarah Wheeler, Anne Weeks, Ashleigh Beaudoin, Mary Provencher) set a new GNAC record of 1:50.19, erasing the old mark of 1:50.48.

Keri-Ann Arsenault (Chester, N.H.) of Simmons College lowered her own pool and GNAC records for the 1650-yard Freestyle, during Saturday's competition. Arsenault's previous pool record of 19:22.14, set in 2005, and GNAC record of 19:50.46, set in 2007, were trimmed to a speedy 19:20.48.

Sarah Wheeler (Winchendon Springs, Mass.) of Saint Joseph College of Connecticut slashed the GNAC record for the 50-yard Butterfly, finishing the race in 28.92, lowering the old mark of 28.96 by four-hundredths of a second.

Diver Catherine Casavant (Acton, Mass.) from Wheelock College set a pool record in the 6-dive, 1-meter springboard event. Casavant scored 215.55 points, slashing the old record of 208.20.

The final team standings for the 2008 GNAC Swimming & Diving Championships:
1.    Simmons College                                         180
2.    St. Joseph's College of Maine                        111
3.    Saint Joseph College of Connecticut                90
4.    Elms College                                                41.5
5.    Husson College                                            33
6.    Wheelock College                                         24
7.    Norwich University                                       18.5

GNAC Commissioner Joe Walsh and Simmons Director of Athletics Ali Kantor presented Simmons and St. Joseph Maine with the First-place and Runner-Up plaques, and announced the 2008 All-Tournament Team, comprised of the first place finishers in each event.

The 2008 GNAC Swimming & Diving All-Tournament Team (by event):
200 Medley Relay    (SJCT)    Kristine Ellegard, Mary Provencher, Anne Weeks, Sarah Wheeler
800 Free Relay    (SIM)    Keri-Ann Arsenault, Hannah McQuillan, Brittany Torelli, Caitlin Urciuoli
400 Medley Relay    (SJME)    Katie Brookes, Hannah Gajewski, Lindsay D'Ascanio, Jamie Wojtkiewicz
200 Free Relay    (SJCT)    Sarah Wheeler, Anne Weeks, Ashleigh Beaudoin, Mary Provencher
200 Free    (SJME)    Hannah Gajewski
50 Back    (ELMS)     Ashley Arbo
50 Breast    (SJCT)    Anne Weeks
100 Fly    (SJCT)    Sarah Wheeler
50 Free    (SIM)    Erica Boswell
100 IM    (SJME)    Hannah Gajewski
1650 Free    (SIM)    Keri-Ann Arsenault
1 M Diving    (WHE)    Catherine Casavant
100 Free    (SIM)    Brittany Torelli
200 Back    (SJME)    Lindsay D'Ascanio
100 Breast    (SJCT)    Anne Weeks
500 Free    (SIM)    Keri-Ann Arsenault
50 Fly    (SJCT)    Sarah Wheeler
400 IM    (SIM)    Keri-Ann Arsenault
3 M Diving    (WHE)    Catherine Casavant