Glory for Galloway

Swimming is a team sport largely defined by individual performances, and in the recently completed 2004 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Swimming and Diving and Championship for women, the individual who stood out above all others was Kenyon senior Beth Galloway of Orchard Park, New York. Guiding the Ladies to their twentieth national title, Galloway won six of seven events, set a record, and was selected by coaches as the NCAA Swimmer of the Year.

Her accumulation of awards at the championship meet improved her four-year career collection to six individual titles and a dozen relay titles. Her overall output of eighteen national titles ranked eighth among all swimmers in the history of the Kenyon women's swimming program. Galloway was the ninth Ladies athlete to win the NCAA's Swimmer of the Year award and just the fifth female at Kenyon to win the maximum amount of twenty-eight All-America awards.

One of the better all-time sprinters at Kenyon, Galloway was most impressive in her main event, the 100-yard backstroke. No one in the nation could touch her in that event, which she reigned over for three straight seasons. Galloway established the NCAA record of 55.70 at the 2002 championship, and then proceeded to better that mark in each of the next three years, concluding her run with a time of 55.57 this year.

In addition to winning the 100-yard backstroke at this year's championship, Galloway also won the 50-yard freestyle (23.33), the 100-yard freestyle (50.72) and was a part of four winning relay teams.