2023 A-10 Championships: Five Meet Records Fall On Day 3

Atlantic 10 Championships (Men’s and Women’s)

• Wednesday, February 15 – Saturday, February 18, 2023
• SPIRE Institute, Geneva, OH
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: George Washington (1x)
  • Men: George Washington (2x)
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Yesterday marked the third day of racing at the 2023 A-10 Championships in Geneva, Ohio. The event line-up featured the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, women’s 3-meter diving, and 400 medley relay.

The George Washington men and women continue to hold commanding leads in the team standings as we head into the final day of competition. On the men’s side, George Mason jumped UMass to take the 2nd position, while the Richmond women maintained their 2nd-place position.

Women’s Recap

George Washington sophomore Molly Smyers opened things up with a victory in the 400 IM. She clocked a personal best time of 4:14.18, which was over 9 seconds faster than her entry time. Her teammate, Julia Knox, cracked the A-10 meet record in prelims with a 4:11.44, but swam a 4:15.07 at finals to earn runner-up.

George Washington’s momentum continued in the 100 fly, with sophomore Barbara Schaal touching first at 53.80, just shy of the program record she had set in prelims. Shelby Stanley from Davidson was just behind at 53.86 for the runner-up spot.

The winning streak stayed alive, as George Washington freshman Phoebe Wright decisively won the 200 free in a personal best time of 1:47.71. Her teammates, Siena Senn and Grace Olivardia made it a podium sweep with 2nd and 3rd place finishes, respectively.

Jacqueline Clabeaux secured a victory for George Mason, as she dominated the 100 breaststroke to win by well over a second. Clabeaux dipped under the one-minute barrier for the first time to clock a 59.81, good for a new A-10 conference and meet record.

Sophomore Ali Tyler collected another victory for George Mason, as she recorded a 53.12 to defend her title in the 100 backstroke. Schaal grabbed the 2nd spot at 54.00, while Richmond junior Katelyn Pennell rounded out the top three at 54.28.

Fordham’s Millie Haffety won the 3-meter diving event with a score of 312.70 in finals. Duquesne’s Amy Read took 2nd, while George Washington freshman Olivia Paquette took third.

George Mason’s 400 medley relay team of Tyler (53.56), Clabeaux (59.69), Abigail Murtaugh (53.77), and Emma De Jong (49.38) combined for a new A-10 conference and meet record time of 3:36.40. They topped the field by just over half a second, with George Washington touching 2nd at 3:37.05.

Team Scores Through Day 3:

1. George Washington – 586
2. Richmond – 346.5
3. Fordham – 315
4. Duquesne – 297.5
5. George Mason – 280
6. Davidson – 196
7. UMass – 190
8. La Salle – 159
9. St. Bonaventure – 139
10. Saint Louis – 87
11. Rhode Island – 62

Men’s Recap

George Washington sophomore Connor Rodgers touched first by just three tenths in the 400 IM, clocking a new conference and meet record time of 3:46.25. He trailed his teammate, Marek Osina, by a few tenths heading into the freestyle leg, but managed to split a 51.36 in the final 100 to come back.

Djurdje Matic from George Washington successfully defended his title in the 100 fly. He clocked a new meet record time of 45.76, topping the field by nearly a second. Fordham’s Paris Raptis touched 2nd at 46.67, while Matthew Whelan was just behind at 46.79.

The 200 freestyle ended up being a tight battle between George Washington freshman Tate Anderson and Davidson freshman Dylan Felt.  Anderson took it out in 47.03 to build a slight lead over Felt at the halfway point, while Felt returned over two tenths faster in the back half. Anderson ended up touching 1st at 1:35.93, while Felt clocked a 1:35.95.

Raptis bounced back from his runner-up performance in the 10 fly to decisively take 1st in the 100 breast. He recorded a 53.45, which was a couple tenths slower than he was in prelims. George Washington freshman Preston Lin picked up 2nd (53.940), while Tyler Lentine was 3rd (54.00).

It was another George Washington podium sweep in the 100 back, led by junior Karol Mlynarczyk. He recorded a 46.84 to make it his third straight A-10 title in the event. Ryan Patterson and Ganesh Sivaramakrishnan clocked 47.53 and 47.69, respectively, for the next two spots.

Fordham’s 400 medley relay team of Christian Taylor (48.04), Noah Althoff (54.50), Raptis (46.58), and Taras Zherebetskyy (44.07) combined to win the final event in 3:13.19. They touched 1st over a second ahead of George Mason, who snagged 2nd at 3:14.47.

Team Scores Through Day 3:

1. George Washington – 522
2. George Mason – 347.5
3. UMass – 301
4. Fordham – 289.5
5. Davidson – 285.5
6. St. Bonaventure – 210
7. La Salle – 188
8. Saint Louis – 127.5