PRESIDENTS’ ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (PAC) – MEN AND WOMEN
- Dates: Wednesday, February 12-Saturday, February 15, 2020
- Location: James E. Longnecker Pool – Grove City College
- Defending Champion: Westminster women; Grove City men
- Live Results: Available here
- Full Championships results
Courtesy: Presidents’ Athletic Conference
WOMEN
GROVE CITY, Pa. (pacathletics.org)–The Grove City College women won their league-best 17th Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Swimming & Diving Championship Saturday evening.
The conference championships were once again held at Grove City’s James E. Longnecker Competition Pool. Longnecker Pool has been the home of the league’s championships since 1990.
Westminster College, last year’s PAC champion, was the runner-up.
Grove City paced the six-team championship field with 972 points. Westminster totaled 850 points. Saint Vincent College (719), Chatham University (446), Washington & Jefferson College (177) and Bethany College (62) rounded out the team scoring.
PAC Swimmer of the Year honors went to Grove City senior Anne Shirley Dassow (Lookout Mountain, Tenn. | Chattanooga Christian) for the fourth-straight year. She is the first women’s swimmer to collect MVP honors in four-straight seasons since W&J’s Kaitlyn Orstein won four straight from 2005-08.
Wednesday, Dassow anchored Grove City’s winning 800 free relay (7:51.78). Thursday, Dassow anchored the winning 200 free relay (1:36.15) and won her third-straight title in the 50 free (24.26) before swimming butterfly on the winning 400 medley relay (3:56.32). Friday, Dassow won her fourth-straight PAC title in the 100 fly with a NCAA Division III B-cut time of 55.48. She also swam breaststroke on Grove City’s winning 200 medley relay (1:46.33). On Saturday, Dassow won her fourth-straight league title in the 200 fly with a B-cut time of 2:03.95.
Westminster senior Kaitlyn Fast (Wooster, Ohio | Wooster) was named the PAC Diver of the Year. She also won the award in 2017-18. Fast was first in Saturday’s 11-dive, three-meter event, posting a winning score of 437.70. She was the runner-up in the 11-dive, one-meter event Thursday with a score of 399.80. She qualified for the Division III Regional Championships in both events.
Grove City freshman Sydney Laughlin (Sykesville, Md. | Century) was named the PAC Newcomer of the Year. She swam on Grove City’s winning 800 free relay (7:51.78) Wednesday, and on Thursday, was a member of the winning 200 free relay (1:36.15). Friday, Laughlin won the 400 IM (4:36.48). Saturday, she won the 200 breaststroke (2:24.96).
PAC Swimming Coach of the Year honors went to Grove City head Coach Dave Fritz for the ninth time in his career. Westminster assistant coach Heath Calhoun claimed the PAC’s Diving Coach of the Year award for the third-straight year.
The Division III Region 4 (Northeast/South) Diving Championships are slated for Friday-Saturday, Feb. 28-29 at Ithaca’s Aquatics Pavilion. The Division III Championships, scheduled for Wednesday-Saturday, March 18-21 at the Greensboro Aquatics Center in Greensboro, N.C., are being hosted by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) and Greensboro Sports Commission for the second-straight year.
MEN
GROVE CITY, Pa (pacathletics.org)–The Grove City College men claimed their second-straight Presidents’ Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championship Saturday night.
The conference championships were once again held at Grove City’s James E. Longnecker Competition Pool. Longnecker Pool has been the home of the league’s championships since 1990.
Grove City won its 20th league title Saturday.
Grove City paced the six-team championship field with 1085 points. Westminster College, this year’s runner-up, totaled 852 points. Saint Vincent College (685), Washington & Jefferson College (285), Bethany College (125) and Chatham University (37) rounded out the team scoring.
PAC Swimmer of the Year honors went to Saint Vincent junior Zach Baum (Derry, Pa. | Derry). On Thursday, Bau won the 50 free with a time of 20.65 seconds. Friday, he won the 100 fly for the third-straight year, finishing with a NCAA Division III B-cut time of 48.92. His time of 48.35 in the preliminaries established new Longnecker Pool, PAC Open and PAC Championships records. Saturday, Baum won the 100 free (45.90).
Westminster junior Connor May (Highlands Ranch, Colo. | Glacier Park) was named the PAC’s Diver of the Year for the third-straight year. Thursday, May won the 11-dive, three-meter event with a score of 568.50. Friday, May won the 11-dive, one-meter event with a score of 553. May qualified for the Division III Regional Championships in both diving events.
Grove City College freshman Elias Griffin (Springfield, Va. | West Springfield) was named the PAC Newcomer of the Year. He was the runner-up in the 100 breaststroke (58.04), finished third in the 200 breaststroke (2:11.14) and was eighth in the 100 fly (54.23)
PAC Swimming Coach of the Year honors went to Grove City head coach Dave Fritz for the eighth time in his career. Westminster assistant coach Heath Calhoun claimed the PAC’s Diving Coach of the Year award for the third-straight year.
The Division III Region 4 (Northeast/South) Diving Championships are slated for Friday-Saturday, Feb. 28-29 at Ithaca’s Aquatics Pavilion. The Division III Championships, scheduled for Wednesday-Saturday, March 18-21 at the Greensboro Aquatics Center in Greensboro, N.C., are being hosted by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) and Greensboro Sports Commission for the second-straight year.