Jenni Russell Named Conference Swimmer of the Week
SPARTANBURG, SC— Converse swimmer Jenni Russell was named this week’s Bluegrass Mountain Conference Female Swimmer of the Week. The freshman Weisiger Scholar student-athlete from Tega Cay, SC notched two first place finishes at the Savannah College of Art and Design Invitational last weekend.
Russell touched first in the 400 Individual Medley with a time of 4:37.05 and the 200 Breast, posting a time of 2:22.47. Both times are NCAA Division II “B” cuts with the Breaststroke 0.30 away from an NCAA Nationals automatic qualifying time. Jenni capped off the meet by grabbing 3rd place in the 100 Breast with a time of 1:08.67. She helped the Valkyries place 6th out of 11 teams overall in the meet that included NCAA Division II standout Wingate University and Division I University of Northern Florida.
“Jenni is well deserving of this award especially after her stellar performances last weekend,” said Converse head coach Susan Kunkler. “Her accomplishments reflect her hard work and her drive to be competitive within our conference and nationally.”
Valkyries Swimming is a new addition to Converse College Athletics and is in its second year. The 2009 season is Converse’s first year competing in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference.