Bullet Shot: Athlete of the Week
Photo courtesy of Gettysburg Athletics. Sophomore Tyler Dougherty captured First-Team All-American Honors at the NCAA Division III Champioships.
Claire Healey, Staff Writer
The Gettysburg College men’s swim team finished thirty-four out of fifty-seven at the NCAA Division III Championships, with only one swimmer competing. Sophomore Tyler Dougherty represented the Bullets in an outstanding meet, where he competed against the best of Division III swimming.
To begin the weekend, Dougherty competed in the 50-freestyle, one of the most competitive events of the entire meet. He finished thirteenth with a time of 20.51, which was only 0.16 seconds away from his career best time. By placing in the top sixteen, Dougherty was also able to earn his first All-American honorable mention of the meet.
Day two of swimming was when Dougherty’s competitive spirit really shone. Going into prelims in the 100-breastroke he was seeded twenty-second, well out of finals contention, but with a school record setting performance, he placed sixteenth and made it back for the finals. During finals he placed fourteenth, which earned him another Honorable Mention All-American recognition.
With two already impressive days of swimming, Dougherty continued this streak in the 100-freestyle. In prelims, Dougherty was able to place eighth with the second fastest time of his career, which earned him a spot in the Championships Final, over the Consolation final. With a time of 44.88, Dougherty placed seventh and earned his seventh All-American honor.
“He had a great meet and he’s progressing. He’s faster than he was last year. He’s got a couple of more years and I think he’s going to keep doing great things for us,” said head coach Mike Rawleigh.
Dougherty helped the Bullets immensely in their sixth straight Centennial Conference Championship this past February, as well as achieving impressive individual successes. Gettysburg will look to him to be a strong competitor again next season.
Congrats to Dougherty for being this week’s “Bullet of the Week!”
