BALTIMORE, Md. -  The Niagara men's and women's swimming & diving teams finished day one at the 2010 MAAC Championships with the men's team in sixth place and the women's team in fifth place due to huge efforts by Ashley Jones, Ashley Clingersmith, Lindsey Jackson and Evinn Drusys.

For the second consecutive year, Jones finished third in the one-meter diving event,  with a score of 214.85. Freshman Faith O'Malley (sixth place) and sophomore Laura Sadler (eighth place) also nabbed points for the Purple Eagles. In her first conference championship meet, Jackson finished in ninth place in the 200 IM event with a time of 2:09.38, breaking her own record set earlier this season. 

In her final MAAC championship meet, Clingersmith finished in eighth place in the 50 yard freestyle event, clocking in at 24.45, while leading off the 200 yard freestyle relay team, that set a new Niagara record en route to finishing in sixth place of 10 teams.

The Niagara Falls, N.Y. native teamed up with Jackson, Julia Bulmahn and Stephanie Gartley  to set a new Niagara record in the 400 yard medley relay event, finishing in seventh place with a time of 4:02.09. Bulmahn broke the school record in the 100 backstroke during the 400 yard medley relay, with a time of 2:09.27.

Like Clingersmith, Drusys also had a busy day in the pool. The California native finished the 50 yard freestyle event in a tie for fourth place with a time of 21.11, five places better than his 2009 finish. The junior was also the leadoff swimmer in the 200 yard freestyle relay which broke the school record en route to finishing in fifth place .

Niagara will be back in action tomorrow for day two of the 2010 MAAC Championships.

Men's Standings
Loyola  209.5
Rider  205
Marist 167
Saint Peter's 135
Fairfield  110
Niagara  78.5
Canisius  78
Iona  77
Manhattan  40

Women's Standings
Marist  254
Rider  197.5
Siena  143
Loyola  129
Niagara  116
Iona  87
Fairfield  79
Canisius  53.5
Saint Peter's  33
Manhattan  18