LEWISTON, Maine -- Behind six All-New England performances and nine school records, the Bates College men's swimming and diving team placed 11th at the New England championships Feb. 27-March 1 at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.

Two Bobcats earned All-New England honors in individual events. Junior David Burke of Andover, Mass., earned fifth-place honors in one- and three meter diving. In the finals of the one-meter diving, Burke broke his own scoring record for 11 dives with a score of 396.66. He finished with a score of 377.75 in the three-meter event.

Junior Damon Bowe of Houma, La., earned his third and fourth career All-New England honors in the individual medley events. Bowe placed third in the 400-yard IM with a time of 4:13.92 and seventh in the 200-yard IM in 1:58.92. Bowe holds the school record in both events, set at the 1997 New England championships.

Four Bates athletes earned their first-ever All-New England honors. First year freestyle swimmer David Blaney of Bar Harbor, Maine, set a school record in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.35, earning fifth place. Blaney's time was a 'B' qualifier for the NCAA Division III championships to be held at Principia College in St. Louis, Mo., March 19-21. He will learn on March 5 if he has qualified for the nationals. Blaney also set a school record in the trials of the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 47.97. He earned All-New England status as part of the 200-yard freestyle relay as well. He and fellow first-year swimmers Miles Cobb of Bethesda, Md., and Mike Jensen of Manchester, N.H., along with sophomore Paul Urbanczyk of Washington, D.C, established a school record in the event for the fourth time this season, earning fourth place with a time of 1:25.96, just off the 'B' qualifier time.

As a team, the Bobcats placed 11th with 436 points, up one place from 1997.

BATES COLLEGE NEW ENGLAND DIV. III CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCES


Athlete			Event			Score/Time	Place		
Damon Bowe		200 indiv. medley	1:58.92		7th @
			400 indiv. medley	4:13.92		3rd @

David Blaney		50 freestyle	21.35			5th *@ 
			100 freestyle	47.97	(in trials)	15th *

David Burke		1-meter diving	396.66			5th *@
			3-meter diving	377.75			5th @	
							
Mike Jensen		1,650 freestyle	17:28.78		18th *

Steve Simmons		50 butterfly	24.43 (in trials)	15th *

Relay			Athletes		Time		Place
200 free		Blaney			1:25.96		4th *@
			Jensen
			Paul Urbanczyk
			Miles Cobb

400 free		Cobb			3:13.60		11th *
			Todd McCoy
			Jensen
			Blaney

200 medley		Blaney			1:39.36		10th *
			Bowe	
			Simmons
			Cobb

400 medley		Bowe			3:39.91		10th *
			Chris Orpilla
			Simmons
			Blaney

* Bates Record
@ All-New England
  NCAA Qualifier