Adam Effinger -- top seed for tonight's 200 butterfly.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology relied on five all-conference performances to tie a program record with a strong third-place finish in the Bluegrass Mountain Swimming and Diving Championships which concluded Saturday night.

Junior Adam Effinger (Plainfield) led the way with a second-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly with an NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving national provisional qualification time of 1:55.01. 

The diving portion of the squad played a critical role in obtaining the third-place plaque, as four all-league performances propelled the effort.  Freshman Mark Parzych (Pearland, Texas/Central) placed second in one-meter diving with 365.70 points in 11 dives.  Sophomore Matt Melton (Griffith) added a second in three-meter diving with 319.55 points.  Both efforts marked new school records in the Rose-Hulman record book.

Senior Isaac Nolan (Mason City, Iowa) added a pair of all-league efforts with third-place performances in one-meter (342.75 points) and three-meter (266.10 points).  Melton also pitched in with a fourth place in three-meter diving with 335.65 points.

On the women's side, Rose-Hulman scored 114 points for an 11th place finish.  Freshman Sam Danesis (Akron, Ohio/Revere) led the effort with a fifth-place tally with 238.00 points in one-meter diving.

The Engineers added a pair of ninth-place finishes in the 200-yard medley and 400-freestyle women's relay events.  Freshman Stephanie Hance (Noblesville), freshman Deborah Aleksa (Glendale, Ariz./Glen Valley), senior Elaine Kratz (Telford, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) and senior Heidi Rorick (Monroeville/Bishop Dwenger) finished ninth in the 200-medley in 1:58.52, while the same four swimmers combined for a 4:02.68 in the 400-freestyle relay.

Other finalists for the third-place men's effort included sophomore Steven Vande Lune (Kokomo) with a fifth-place finish in the 500-freestyle (4:48.99), a seventh in the 200-freestyle (1:45.69) and an eighth in the 1,650-freestyle (17:39.00).

Earlier in the week, Vande Lune combined with sophomore Ben Butz (Beloit, Wis./Memorial), junior John Whitten (Akron, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and junior Jacob Sorensen (Enterprise, Ala.) for a fifth in the 200-freestyle relay in 1:30.17.  On Saturday night, Vande Lune, Effinger, Sorensen and Whitten rounded out the fifth-place efforts with a 3:16.20 in the 400-freestyle relay.

The most significant relay score of the week came in the 800-yard freestyle relay, as the team of Vande Lune, sophomore Nick Lee (Bryan, Texas), Effinger and Sorensen came home fourth in a time of 7:12.82.  The 400-medley  relay team of Lee, junior Heath Shipley (Georgetown/Floyd Central), Effinger and Sorensen added a seventh in the 400-medley relay in a time of 3:44.45, while Lee placed eighth in the 50-freestyle in 21.82 seconds.

The team has achieved its results despite a significant flu strain impacting the squad.  More than a dozen team members have battled some sort of flu-like system this week.