The first day of the Colonial Athletic Association Championships saw William & Mary take three of the four relay races and the men’s points lead, though the Towson women top their side of the meet.
Men’s Meet
William & Mary swept the men’s relays to jump to a solid early points lead. The 200 medley kicked off with the field’s second-best backstroke split (22.29) from junior Will Manion, but most of the damage came on senior breaststroker Matt Goetz‘s 24.37 – the event’s best split by almost half a second. Justin Barden (21.47 fly) and Billy Russell (a field-best 19.70 anchor leg) closed down the relay, which went 1:27.83.
The College of Charleston, swimming in their final CAA meet, took second with a gutsy finish. CofC, which will be cut after this season, held off UNC-Wilmington 1:28.49 to 1:28.56, getting a great 20.84 fly split from junior Buckley Powell.
William & Mary provided the biggest firework of the night with a new CAA meet record in the 800 free relay. Teagan Clarke, Manion, Jeremiah O’Donnell and Russell went 6:31.07 to get .7 seconds under the old marks the team set last year.
Manion, pulling a double on relays on opening night, went 1:36.45 on his leg, the best split of anyone in the field. Russell, also doubling, went 1:37.84 anchoring.
Towson took second and sits second as a team as well. The Tigers were 6:34.26, jumping to an early lead on a 1:37.49 leadoff leg by Dominic Breschi.
Team Scores after Day 1
- William & Mary – 80
- Towson – 63
- College of Charleston – 62
- Drexel – 61
- UNC-W – 58
- Delaware – 56
Women’s Meet
William & Mary also won the opening 200 medley relay on the women’s side, going 1:40.43. That team was made up of Sophie Rittenhouse, Annie Valls, Jesse Ustjanauskas and Megan Howard. Rittenhouse’s 25.95 kept the team right in the hunt through backstroke, and Ustjanauskas was nearly-untouchable on fly, splitting 24.03. That was the second-best split of the field, and Howard was also the second-best freestyler in the field with her 22.35 anchor leg.
Delaware took second, going 1:40.54 and nearly stealing the win from William & Mary. Splits for Delaware were unavailable.
Towson ended the William & Mary win streak in the 800 free relay, though. Victoria Oslund, Kendall Krumenacker, Macey Arnold and Charlotte Holz combined to go 7:12.58, topping the field by more than a second. Arnold was particularly impressive, going 1:46.07 on her leg. No one else in the field was able to break 1:47. Holz was close, anchoring in 1:47.58 to ice the win.
James Madison wound up second, going 7:13.84 and getting a 1:47.39 split from Camilla Czulda on the end.
Team Scores after Day 1
- Towson – 72
- William & Mary – 70
- Delaware – 66
- James Madison – 64
- Northeastern – 54
- UNC-W – 52
- Drexel – 50
- College of Charleston – 44