SWIM Preview - RMAC Championships - Jerry Birnbaum

PREVIEW: Mines Takes On RMAC Championships This Week

2/16/2021 9:11:00 AM

2021 RMAC Championships (hosted by Colorado Mesa) – Wednesday through Saturday
[RMAC Network] [Live Results] [Meet Central]

 

OREDIGGERS LOOK FOR HARDWARE AT RMAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
After a regular season unlike any other, Colorado School of Mines swimming hopes to finish on top of the podium at the 2021 RMAC Championships starting Wednesday and running through Saturday at Colorado Mesa University. No spectators will be admitted, but all sessions will stream live and for free on the RMAC Network with live results also available from CMUMavericks.com and the Meet Mobile app.

MEET SCHEDULE
This year's meet will have a different format than usual, with separate men's and women's prelims and finals each day. Women's prelims will start at 9 a.m. each day followed by the men; finals will also go women then men, starting at 4 p.m. each day. For the full schedule, visit the RMAC's meet central page.

TRYING TO EXTEND THE SEASON
RMAC Championships is always a chance to go fast, but this year's meet holds extra importance as it will essentially be the Orediggers' lone chance to qualify for NCAA Championships with tapered times after the cancellation of the A3 Performance Invite back in November. Currently, Robert Clayton is the only Oredigger in the NCAA Division II top-30 in any event, ranking 29th in the 200-fly, but as Mines showed in their unofficial fall intrasquad meets, multiple swimmers are in the hunt for national-caliber times this week.

WHO TO WATCH
The RMAC psych sheet shows 22 Orediggers with top-three seeds for the meet. For the men, Henry Oberley, Josh Lee, and Austin Rich are the top three seeds in the 1000-free, with Oberley and Lee second and third in the 1650-free.  Jerry Birnbaum tops the 100-fly with Charles Burroughs third, and Robert Clayton has the fastest 200-fly seed with Burroughs again third. Peyton Scherschel is seeded third in the 50-free and the 100-breast (he's the defending champion in the latter).
On the women's side, freshman Jorie Selig is the top seed in the 50-free (with Maddie Finley second) and the 100-free, and she is also seeded second in the 100-breast. Erin Taggart and Nadia Smith top the 400-IM list, with Taggart also leading the 200-fly, while Annie Osmun leads the 100-fly seedings and is second in the 100-free, and Meghan Slowey is the second seed in the 1000-free and third in the 1650.

LAST YEAR AT RMAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
In 2020, both the Oredigger men and women finished second at the RMAC Championships, a one-spot improvement for the men and two spots up for the women from 2019. Mines compiled eight individual championships overall led by RMAC Women's Swimmer of the Year Mia Wood; Charles Burroughs was named the men's freshman of the year.

LAST TIME OUT
The Orediggers last swam on Jan. 30, taking both sides of a dual meet against Colorado College with the women winning 130-54, and the men 142.5-43.5. Jorie Selig and Annie Osmun led eight individual event wins for the women with two victories apiece, while Charles Burroughs touched first twice for the men among eight overall wins and a tie.

BURROUGHS EARNS RMAC WEEKLY HONOR
Charles Burroughs was named the RMAC's Men's Swimmer of the Week for the first time in his career on Feb. 3 after winning two events to lead Mines past Colorado College in their dual meet. He won the 100-fly in 52.25 and the 100-breaststroke in 1:01.54, and was also third in the 200-free (in exhibition) in 1:48.18. Individually and in relays, he accounted for 22 team points in Mines' 142.5-43.5 win.

RECORD WATCH
The Orediggers' fall intrasquad meets produced a bevy of program records. On the women's side, freshman sprinter Jorie Selig impressed with new marks in the 50-free (23.57) and 50-breast (29.64) while Erin Taggart set the 200-fly record (2:07.20) and Selig, Anne Osmun, Sarah Bennett, and Maddie Finley put together a new 200-free relay record of 1:36.42. Peyton Scherschel captured the men's 50-breaststroke mark of 25.54 as 14 pool records fell on the men's side, as well.

IN THE RANKINGS
Both Oredigger teams appear in the latest collegeswimming.com team computer rankings, with the men at #23 and women at #25. The CSCAA is not publishing a coaches' poll this season.

LOOKING AHEAD
National qualifiers will be announced by the NCAA on Saturday, March 6, ahead of NCAA Division II Championships starting March 17 in Birmingham, Ala.
 
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