McDowell Earns Third Unanimous Athlete-of-the-Month Selection

St. Mary's City, Md. - Brie McDowell (Doylestown, Pa.), a member of the St. Mary's College of Maryland women's swim team, notched her third unanimous selection for athlete-of-the-month as McDowell received the honor for the month of March as voted on by the Department of Athletics and Recreation.

The 5-8, senior captain garnered three All-America awards at the 2009 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Championships. This was McDowell's second trip of her three-year Seahawk career to the NCAA championships.

McDowell notched the program's highest-ever finish at the NCAAs as she finished fourth in the 200 backstroke event in 2:01.32, just under a second out of third place behind Emory University's Tess Pasternak (2:00.69). Carolyn Barer of Kenyon College won the event in 2:00.15 after finishing third in the prelims (2:00.47). Having entered the 200 back seeded first (2:00.92), she came in second in the morning swim as she touched the wall in a school record time of 2:00.32 behind Pasternak's 1:59.54.

McDowell came in second in the consolation finals of the 200 individual medley event for a 10th-place overall finish. She posted a time of 2:05.88 in the finals after taking 13th in the prelims in 2:06.10. McDowell had entered the competition seeded fifth with her school record time of 2:05.48.

The Hatboro-Horsham HS product captured the consolation finals for ninth overall in the 100 backstroke event in record fashion as McDowell posted a school record-setting time of 56.23 in the 100 back, surpassing her own mark of 56.62 that she had set just a little over a month ago at the CAC championships. She had finished the prelims in ninth in 56.93, having entered the competition seeded third in the event.

McDowell ends her career as the most decorated Seahawk swimmer ever as she claimed five career All-America honors and owns 12 school records (8 individual, 4 relay).

2008-09 St. Mary's Athlete-of-the-Month
September - Katie Ewing, volleyball
October - Becca Tursell, volleyball
November - Brie McDowell, swimming
December - Rachel Hotchko, swimming
January - Camontae Griffin, basketball
February - Brie McDowell, swimming
March - Brie McDowell, swimming