ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Simmons College women's swimming & diving team finished eighth at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Open Championship at the United States Naval Academy's Lejeune Hall in Annapolis, Md. 

The Sharks tallied 161 points to finish behind University of Maryland Baltimore County and ahead of Saint Francis College (Pa.). Navy totaled 632.5 points to earn the Championship. Simmons placed higher than any other Division III program in the meet and earned the highest finish in school history.

Sophomore Laura Simpson (Perkiomenville, Pa.) led Simmons, finishing eighth in the 1650-yard freestyle after shattering her own school record by more than six seconds with a mark of 17:38.31. 

The Sharks continued their prowess in relay events, placing sixth in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a school-record time of 3:31.75 to better the old mark by almost two seconds for their seventh school record of the weekend. Sophomore Kerry Fleming (Northampton, Mass.), junior Natalie Giraldi (Bedford, N.H.), first year Laura List (Bedford, Mass.) and senior Miriam Swisher (Albuquerque, N.M.) combined on the effort for Simmons. 

Swisher placed 12th overall, earlier in the evening, with a mark of 2:06.13 in the 200-yard backstroke consolation finals.