After day 1 of the Bucknell Invite, the William & Mary women and the University at Buffalo men lead the team battles. The host team Bucknell set a new school record in the 400 medley relay to highlight the night. Full results can be found here.
Bucknell:
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The 400 medley relay team of Emma Levendoski, Diana Hanson,Julianna Foss and Abigail Rosenberg set a program record on Friday at the Bucknell Invitational, leading the Bison women’s swimming and diving team to fifth place after the first of three days of competition at Kinney Natatorium.
The Bison took first among 24 teams in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:43.96. They bested the previous record of 3:44.88 set by Levendoski, Hanson, Foss and Rachel McGoff at last year’s Patriot League Championships.
The relay record was one of five program top-10 times set by Bucknell on Friday. Dani Potismoved nearer to setting an individual record, taking over the second spot in the 500 free with a time of 4:52.51. That time was good enough to win the event among 46 swimmers. She easily won the race, with Connecticut’s Jackie Van Lew taking second in 4:54.07.
Levendoski owns numerous Bucknell backstroke records and has now moved into the top 10 in the 50 free with her performance on Friday. She finished 17th in the event with a time of 23.57, which ties her with Lauren Perry for fifth in the program record book.
Levendoski was also a part of another relay that cracked the program top 10, teaming withBrittany Bishop, Rosenberg and Rachel Perry to take over ninth in the 200 free relay. They finished third in the event on Friday with a time of 1:34.98.
Foss added a top-10 time in an individual event, moving into sixth in the 200 IM. She took fifth in the event with a time of 2:04.75, while Hanson finished 10th.
William & Mary leads the team scoring with 364 points after one day of competition. Connecticut (354), Buffalo (295), Fordham (268.5) and Bucknell (256.5) round out the current top five in the nine-team event.
Competition resumes with a round of prelims on Saturday at 10 a.m. The first event will be the 400 IM.
New Top-10 Times
400 medley relay (1. Levendoski, Hanson, Foss, Rosenberg) 3:43.96
500 free (2. Dani Potis – 4:52.51)
50 free (t-5. Emma Levendoski – 23.57)
200 IM (6. Julianna Foss – 2:04.75)
200 free relay (9. Bishop, Rosenberg, Levendoski, R. Perry – 1:34.98)
William & Mary:
The William & Mary women’s swimming team turned in a strong performance Friday night, and leads the nine-team Bucknell Invitational after the conclusion of the first day. The Tribe scored 364 points to lead Connecticut by 10 points, while Buffalo is a distant third with 295 points.
200 Free Relay
The night began very well for the Tribe, with the team of Annie Miller (Houston, Texas), Abby Mack(Wayne, Pa.), Katie Sell (Fredericksburg, Va.), and Jaimie Miller (Houston, Texas) winning the 200 free relay in a time of 1:33.80. That was also the 11th-fastest time in school history.
500 Free
Freshman Maria Oceguera (New Rochelle, N.Y.) was the team’s top finisher in the 500 free, swimming 4:54.91 to place third overall. Oceguera also improved herself to eighth all-time among Tribe athletes. Junior Selina Fuller (Henrico, Va.) was fifth in 4:55.95, and freshman Morgan Smith(Verona, N.J.) was sixth in 4:56.41, improving her position as the 10th-fastest athlete in school history. Senior Hannah Vester (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished 10th overall at 4:58.76, and sophomoreBailey Hall (Henrico, Va.) continued to improve with her 5:04.88 to place 20th.
200 IM
In the 200 IM, junior Allie Christy (Williamsburg, Va.) led the way in fourth place overall at 2:04.55. Sophomore Shannon Harrington (Philadelphia, Pa.) stopped the clock in 2:06.62 for 14th place, two spots ahead of classmate Emma Merrill (Fairfax, Va.) who swam 2:07.31. Freshman Brooke Bruno(Media, Pa.) blazed a time of 2:05.97 in the bonus heat for 19th overall, and moved up to 14th in the Tribe’s all-time ranking as well. Senior Jenny Lomicka (Henrico, Va.) took 20th in 2:07.32, and sophomore Rachel Anderson (Clifton, Va.) went 2:07.63 to earned 22nd place.
50 Free
W&M picked up another bronze medal in the 50 free, with junior Jaimie Miller (Houston, Texas)finishing third with a time of 23.06 seconds. Her younger sister, freshman Annie Miller (Houston, Texas), took fourth in 23.41 seconds, improving to seventh all-time at W&M with her second season-best performance of the day. Sophomore Jess Crowley (Acton, Mass.) timed 23.92 seconds for 12th place, just ahead of Georgie Crompton (Brooklandville, Md.) in 13th at 23.95 seconds, and the freshman Sell was 15th overall in 24.05 seconds. Mack was next to the wall in 24.21 seconds for 16th place, and in the bonus heat, seniors Noelle Klockner (Marlboro, N.J.) and Jessie Ustjanauskas(West Hartford, Conn.) swam 24.16 and 24.19 seconds for 22nd and 24th, respectively.
400 Medley Relay
The 400 medley relay saw four all-time performances for the Tribe, starting with two phenomenal lead-off legs. The “A” relay started with junior Sophie Rittenhouse (London, England) timing 54.96 seconds, tied for the sixth-best race in school history, while Sell went 57.12 on the “B” relay to improve to 15th all-time among W&M athletes. Rittenhouse’s teammates included Annie Valls(Miami, Fla.), Ustjanauskas, and Miller the Elder, who completed the circuit with her hand on the wall in 3:44.68, the sixth-best time in school history. Meanwhile, the “B” relay after Sell passed to Christy, Mack, and finally Klockner in a time of 3:48.78, the 17th-best time ever at W&M.
The Bucknell Invitational continues Saturday, with races in the 400 IM, 200 free, the 100s of the strokes, and the 200 medley and 800 free relays.
2015 Bucknell Invitational
1. William & Mary 364
2. Connecticut 354
3. Buffalo 295
4. Fordham 268.5
5. Bucknell 256.5
6. Georgetown 233.5
7. La Salle 158.5
8. Binghamton 60
9. Delaware 52
Fordham:
The Fordham swimming & diving teams began a three-day stretch at the Bucknell Invitational on Friday in Lewisburg, Pa. The Rams had a good first day, as the women are fourth out of nine teams, while the men are eighth out of nine squads.
William & Mary leads the women’s competition with 364 points, followed by Connecticut (354), Buffalo, (295), Fordham (268.5), Bucknell (256.5), Georgetown (233.5), La Salle (158.5), Binghamton (60), and Delaware (52).
On the men’s side, Buffalo is in first place with 459 points, followed by William U Mary (402), Connecticut (312.5), Bucknell (243), La Salle (230), Binghamton (144.5), Georgetown (142), Fordham (118), and Delaware (17).
The day was highlighted by event wins from senior Steve Sholdra and junior Megan Polaha. Sholdra won the 500-yard freestyle event in a school record time of 4:26.81, breaking the previous mark of 4:28.24, set by current teammate Liam Semple last year. Polaha quickly followed with a first place finish in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:02.90, just .01 seconds off her best time of the year.
Besides Sholdra and Polaha, Fordham scored 11 times in Friday’s individual swimming events, as well as in both diving and relay events.
In the 500 freestyle, Kalena Laurent placed seventh in the “A” final in a time of 4:58.84, while Erin McBride was 21st overall with a time of 5:06.28 in the women’s event. On the men’s side, Semple joined Sholdra in the scoring column by winning the “B” final in 4:32.84.
Then in the 200 IM, four other women’s swimmers joined Polaha in the scoring column. Marie Feneron (2:04.66) and Theresa Goehring(2:05.81) were seventh and eighth respectively in the “A” final, while Morgan Fairclough was 11th overall (2:06.33) and Megan Gehrich was 23rd(2:08.39). On the men’s side, Fordham’s Chris Viera won the “C” final in 1:53.78.
In the 50 freestyle, three women’s swimmers scored, led by the Lulley sisters and Megan Gray. Chandler Lulley was 10th (23.77) with her sister Shannon Lulley grabbing 11th in 23.84 seconds. Gray finished tied for 22nd overall with a time of 24.16 seconds.
In the diving events, Fordham had three women’s divers score in the three-meter events, while the men placed two. Natalie Wodniak was the top performer, finishing 11th with a score of 210.25, while Wendy Espina-Esquivel was 13th (200.70) and Krista White grabbed 22nd (143.90).
The men’s one-meter dive saw Christopher Craig, score 22nd overall with a score of 179.30 with Colin Esterine-Reid taking 23rd with a score of 172.10.
In the relays, the women were fourth in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:35.19 and fifth in the 400 medley relay in 3:46.89. The men took 13th (200 free relay – 1:26.83) and 12th (400 medley relay – 3:28.25) respectively in those events.
Day two of the Bucknell Invitational will start on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM.
Buffalo:
LEWISBURG, PA – The UB men’s and women’s swimming and diving team got off to a strong start at the three-day Bucknell Invitational. After the first day, the men sit in first with 459 points, while the women sit in third with 295 points.
In the 200 yard freestyle relay Antonio Lanzi, Itai De La Vega, Eric Jensen and Mason Miller won first place with a time of 1:22.17. The first-place finish earned the Bulls 52 points towards the team score. Billy Patrum and Charles Barry finished in fourth and fifth to earn 51 total points. After finishing in sixth in the preliminary round, Barry improved one place to finish fifth, while Patrum swam strongly to finish in fourth just like he did during the prelims.
The strong performances continued on the men’s side in the 200 IM. Scott Huang improved his time by almost three seconds from the prelims in the finals and earned 32 team points. He won the event in a time of 1:48.63 and swimming more than a second faster than Jeremiah O’Donnell who finished in second. Garrett Clarke also swam in the finals of the 200 IM finishing in 23rd place and earning 2 points.
Buffalo had six swimmers qualify for the 50 yard freestyle finals by finishing in the top-24 in the preliminary round. Lanzi led the way winning the event in a time of 20.57, which was a .1 improvement over his preliminary round performance. Miller added to Lanzi’s performance by earning a fifth-place finish. Jensen and De La Vega finished in ninth and 11th, respectively.
Jonathan Ekas, Huang, Andrew Cole-Goins, and Jensen ended the Bulls day on a high note with a second-place finish in the 400 yard medley relay. They swam the event in a time of 3:20.06 and grew the team’s lead with 44 additional points.
Men’s diving took the event by storm in the one meter dive. Buffalo’s five divers all qualified for the finals and three of them finished in the top-five places. Nicholas Rodriquez won the event with a score of 333.00 outscoring his closest competitior by almost 15 points. 130 of Buffalo’s 459 total points on the men’s side came from this event.
Megan Burns and Sarah Baxter finished first and second in the 50 yard freestyle. They earned 60 total points combined and swam the event in 22:53 and 23:01, respectively. Eve Kostenand Julia Box placed in ninth and 14th place to add 33 points as well.
In the three meter dive Mackenzie Moss and Abbey Croce qualified for the finals. They finished in seventh and ninth. Moss scored 280.10 in the final, while Croce was given a 277.45 for her dives in the finals. Elyse Piseczny and Kelly Moran just missed out on participating in the finals with ninth and 10th-place finishes.
Four Bulls qualified for the 500 meter freestyle final with Hannah Miller leading the way with an eighth-place finish. Victoria Butler qualified for the finals in the 200 IM and finished in 17th place with a time of 2:04.60.
The Bulls are back in action on Saturday. Preliminaries for Saturday’s events start at 10 a.m, while finals are schedule for 6 p.m.
Men’s Team Rankings
| 1. | UB | 459 | 2. | William and Mary | 402 |
| 3. | Connecticut | 312.5 | 4. | Bucknell | 243 |
| 5. | La Salle | 230 | 6. | Binghamton | 144.5 |
| 7. | Georgetown | 142 | 8. | Fordham | 118 |
| 9. | Delaware | 17 |
Women’s Team Rankings
| 1. | William and Mary | 364 | 2. | Connecticut | 354 |
| 3. | UB | 295 | 4. | Fordham | 268.5 |
| 5. | Bucknell | 256.5 | 6. | Georgetown | 233.5 |
| 7. | La Salle | 158.5 | 8. | Binghamton | 60 |
| 9. | Delaware | 52 |
Georgetown:
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Georgetown University swimming & diving team finished the first day of competition at the Bucknell Invitational on Friday evening at Kinney Natatorium. The Hoya women are currently sixth in the nine-team field with 233.5 points, while the men are seventh with 142 points.
After a morning of preliminary action, the Hoyas returned to the pool for the finals on Friday night. In the fifth event freshman Laine Morgan(Miami, Fla./Ransom Everglades School) earned a second place in the `A’ final of the women’s 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:03.57. Morgan’s time broke a three year old program record.
The Hoya women placed fifth and sixth in the 50-yard freestyle, as senior Erica Fabbri (Yardley, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) finished in a time of 23.47, while sophomore Bailey Page (Brentwood, Tenn./Ravenwood) finished in 23.63.
The women’s 400 medley relay quartet of junior Katie Duncalf (Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greeley), sophomore Molly Fitzpatrick (Manchester, N.H./The Derryfield School), Morgan and Fabbri, broke the program record with a time of 3:47.47, finishing sixth overall.
Competition continues at Kinney Natatorium on Saturday with day two of the Bucknell Invitational.
La Salle:
LEWISBURG, Pa.-The La Salle men’s swimming and diving team had nine swimmers and divers qualify for the finals on the first day of the Bucknell Invitational.
The Explorer men sit in fifth place with 230 team points accumulated through the first day of action.
Sophomore Dylan Yurasits reached the eight man final of the one meter diving event and finished in second place thanks to a 318.20 point final round. Yurasits had the sixth highest total in the preliminary round to reach the finals with a 265.00 point total and earned 28 points for the team score. Senior CJ Gimpel finished in 10th in the prelims with a total of 244.70 to earn 17 team points and sophomore Chase Ott finished in 24th place with a 168.15 point total.
The Explorers had five men qualify for the finals in the 200 yard IM. Sophomore Fabian Bergmanmade the A-Finals and finished in eighth place overall with a time of 1:53.79 to earn 22 points. Junior Strahin Stankovic had the top time in the B-Finals to earn 20 points in 1:51.99. Junior Jerry Gravel (11th place, 1:52.89) and senior Johan Roth (14th place, 1:53.26) also reached the B-Finals to earn 16 and 13 points respectively. Junior Cameron Fadley swam in the C-Finals finishing in 19thplace overall and the third quickest time in the C Finals, touching in 1:54.80 to earn six points.
A pair of La Salle swimmers reached the 500 yard freestyle finals. Junior Mattias Glenesk finished in 17th place with a 4:35.13 time, which was the fastest in the C-Finals and sophomore Jakub Bartosiewicz finished in 22nd with a time of 4:41.75.
Senior Jonathan Cabral finished in 13th place with the fifth fastest time in the B-Finals for the 50 yard freestyle race. Cabral swam a 21.37 to earn 14 points towards the team score. Junior Strahin Stankovic also reached the finals finishing in 24th place with a time of 24.72.
The relay team of Stankovic, Cabral, Roth and Bartosiewicz finished in fourth place of the 200 yard freestyle relay to earn 40 points towards the team score.
La Salle also finished in fourth place in the 400 yard medley relay. Bergman, Roth, Bartosiewicz and Nikolic swam a time of 3:21.52 to earn 40 points towards the team score.
Day two of the Bucknell Invitational gets underway at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
Swimming news courtesy of William & Mary, Bucknell, Fordham, Buffalo, La Salle, and Georgetown Swimming & Diving.