William & Mary’s men and women both brought home a victory from the Bucknell Invite this weekend. The women came back and won a tight race with UConn, after the Huskies overtook them by 4 points on day 2. Full results can be found here.
Bucknell:
Men-
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Chris Devlin won the title in the 200 back Sunday at the Bucknell Invitational, leading the Bison to a fourth-place finish out of nine teams. The three-day event concluded on Sunday, with William & Mary winning the team title with 1,597 points.
Buffalo finished with a score of 1,476 to take second, while Connecticut was third with 1,020. Bucknell came in fourth with 777.5, finishing ahead of La Salle with 687.5. Georgetown (581), Binghamton (401), Fordham (386) and Delaware (42) rounded out the participating teams.
Devlin’s individual title came in a field of 42 swimmers. He touched the wall in 1:46.16, finishing ahead of William & Mary’s Will Manion in 1:47.43. Bucknell junior Jack Robinson was 12th in the event.
Devlin also took part in Bucknell’s 400 free relay team that took third out of 23 teams. He joined Robinson, freshman Charlie McFarland and junior Louis Behnen for a time of 3:05.86.
McFarland added an 11th-place finish in the 100 free. Finishing 12th in individual events were junior Sam Mackie in the 200 breast and senior Patrick Alvermann in the 3-meter dive.
Bucknell will have over a month off before its next competition. The Bison will return to the pool with away meets on back-to-back days as they travel to compete against Army West Point on Saturday, Jan. 9, and to Colgate on Sunday, Jan. 10.
Women-
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Senior Emma Levendoski continued her success in backstroke events, winning the 200 back at the Bucknell Invitational on Sunday. The three-day event concluded with William & Mary winning the team title with 1,315.5 points. The Bison were fourth with 909.5.
Connecticut finished with 1,219 points and Buffalo tallied 1,073.5 to take second and third, respectively. Fordham (859.5), Georgetown (791.5), La Salle (446), Binghamton (231.5) and Delaware (108) were fifth through ninth.
Levendoski won the 200 back with a time of 1:55.77, easily topping second-place Annika Grewal (Connecticut), who touched the wall in 1:57.30. The Bison had three swimmers finish in the top 10 out of 49 swimmers in the event, as sophomore Julianna Foss and junior Rachel Perry took sixth and ninth, respectively. Perry’s time of 2:01.53 in the finals moved her into sixth on Bucknell’s all-time list. Caroline Orem also had a solid showing with a 12th-place finish.
The Bison set three other individual top-10 times and one in a relay. Freshman Abigail Rosenberg, freshman Brittany Bishop, sophomore Caroline Edelman and sophomore Maddie Marcheskie teamed up to swim the sixth-fastest time in program history in the 400 free relay. The group finished sixth in the event with a time of 3:27.95.
Sophomore Dani Potis already owned Bucknell’s third-fastest time in the 1,650 free, but she improved upon it with a 16:56.19 in the event on Sunday. That was good enough for fifth out of 33 swimmers.
Bucknell had two swimmers finish in the top 12 of the 100 free, led by Rosenberg. She took fifth with a time of 51:16 after qualifying for the finals with a swim of 51.01 in the prelims. The prelims time was the third-fastest in Bucknell history. Bishop took 12th, recording the 10th-best time (51.62) in program history.
Other notable individual performances included Julianna Foss with a seventh-place finish in the 200 fly and Diana Hanson’s ninth-place in the 200 breast.
In three days of competition, the Bison recorded 15 new program top-10 times, including a school record in the 400 medley relay.
Bucknell will have over a month off before its next competition. The Bison will return to the pool with away meets on back-to-back days as they travel to compete against Army West Point on Saturday, Jan. 9, and to Colgate on Sunday, Jan. 10.
New Top-10 Times
1,650 free – (3. Dani Potis – 16:56.19)
100 free – (3. Abigail Rosenberg – 51.01; 10. Brittany Bishop – 51.62)
200 back – (6. Rachel Perry – 2:01.53)
400 free relay – (6. Rosenberg, Bishop, Edelman, Marcheskie – 3:27.95)
William & Mary:
Men-
The William & Mary men’s swimming team got three more event titles on Sunday at the Bucknell Invitational, leading the Tribe to its first invitational team title in recent memory. The Green and Gold scored 1,597 points across 18 swimming events, while runner-up Buffalo scored just 1,476 points in 20 events including diving.
1,650 Free
The final session began with the 1,650 free, where sophomore Tommy Kealy (Wilton, Conn.)swam 16:04.09 for seventh overall. Freshman Eric Grimes (Louisville, Ky.) was ninth in 16:10.73, and his 1,000-yard split of 9:39.11 moved him up to 12th all-time among Tribe athletes. SophomoreConrad Zamparello (Midlothian, Va.) finished 11th in 16:12.54, and junior Conor Cudahy(Herndon, Va.) touched the wall in 16:23.77 for 17th overall.
200 Back
In the 200 back, senior Will Manion (Haddonfield, N.J.) took second overall in 1:47.43 to lead five in the top nine for the Tribe. Junior Alex Henderson (Hopewell, Va.) swam 1:49.65 for fifth place, and classmate Alex Montes de Oca (Orange, Va.) was right behind him in 1:49.84 for sixth. SeniorJustin Barden (Gordonsville, Va.) completed the championship heat in 1:52.19 for eighth place. In the consolation race, sophomore Wyatt Grubb (Mechanicsville, Va.) won the day in 1:49.87 for ninth overall. Freshman Joey Rento (Newport News, Va.) was 11th overall in 1:50.66, improving to 14th in school history. Senior Austin Glass (Mechanicsville, Va.) finished 16th overall in 1:54.49.
100 Free
Senior Billy Russell (Newport News, Va.) continued his two-day winning streak with a victory in the 100 free, breaking the 45-second barrier in 44.99 seconds. That was the seventh-fastest time in school history. Junior Joe Eiden (White Plains, N.Y.) landed on the podium yet again with his third-place 45.44, another lifetime-best that improved him to 11th all-time at W&M, and sophomore Kyle Neri (Wallingford, Conn.) earned his own PB in 45.74 seconds for fifth place. Neri now ranks 13th on the all-time list. Freshman Ramzy Ali (Thalwil, Switzerland) finished his week with a 24th-place finish, stopping the clock in 48.16 seconds.
200 Breast
In the 200 breast, senior Jeremiah O’Donnell (Chapel Hill, N.C.) swam 2:00.16, the 12th-fastest time in school history, and finished second overall. Josh Zimmt (Barrington, R.I.) finished in seventh place at 2:04.06, just ahead of senior Andrew Nyce (Vienna, Va.) who took eighth in 2:04.30. Freshman Brooks Peterson (Carrollton, Va.) was 13th overall in the consolation finals, timing 2:07.18.
200 Fly
Sophomore Evan Baker (Chantilly, Va.) wrapped up his week with a sweep of the fly events, culminating Sunday with a win in the 200 fly. Baker swam 1:48.38, the eighth-fastest time in school history, for the win. Senior Ryan Natal (Great Falls, Va.) was third overall in 1:51.15, just ahead of freshman Maicoll Gomez (Richmond, Va.) who was fourth in 1:51.17. Kealy came back from the mile to finish seventh overall in 1:52.42. In the “C” finals, Sean Higgins (Wilton, Conn.) carried the day in 1:52.11 for 17th overall, just ahead of Rento who earned his second entry in the Tribe records with a 1:52.71 time that ranks him 16th all-time. Nick DeLeon (Cheapeake, Va.) swam 1:54.33 for 21st place, and sophomore Conrad Zamparello (Midlothian, Va.) placed 22nd overall in 1:54.96.
400 Free Relay
Fittingly, the Tribe’s week which already saw three relay wins, finished out with one more. Neri swam 45.92 to open the relay, then Eiden took over for the second leg. As the third leg approached with Buffalo in the lead by a third of a second, the Bulls’ jumped too early. That didn’t matter to Manion, who overtook the early swimmer on the homestretch and handed off the race to Russell with a slim .03 lead. Russell completed the win with a 44.40 leg, fastest of any swimmer in any leg, and won his eighth race in a row (four relays, four individual races).
With the fall season now complete, the majority of the Tribe takes the next month off for exams and holidays before the January training trip. Select W&M swimmers will head to Federal Way, Wash., the weekend after Thanksgiving (Dec. 3-5) to compete at the USA Swimming AT&T Winter
Women-
Behind a strong effort from top to bottom in every event, the William & Mary women’s swimming team won the Bucknell Invitational Sunday, its first invitational victory in recent memory. The Tribe piled up 1,315.5 points to win out over the field of nine schools, almost a hundred in front of runner-up Connecticut (1,219).
1,650 Free
The evening started off with a bang, when freshman Maria Oceguera (New Rochelle, N.Y.) swam to a Tribe rookie record 16:52.51 for fourth place in the 1,650 free. That broke the record set by seniorHannah Vester (Cincinnati, Ohio) at the 2012 CAA Championships, and was the sixth-fastest race in school history. Oceguera now ranks fourth all-time among Tribe athletes in the mile, and is seventh all-time in the 1,000 free after her 10:13.99 split, the 13th-fastest race in school history. Junior Selina Fuller (Henrico, Va.) was seventh overall in 17:00.78, the 14th-fastest race ever, and freshmanMorgan Smith (Verona, N.J.) was eighth overall in 17:01.12, the 15th-fastest time in school history. Smith now ranks eighth among Tribe athletes in the 1,650, and 10th in the 1,000 free after splitting 10:17.91. Vester herself was 10th in 17:11.41, and senior Elena Marsilii (Falls Church, Va.) took 17th in 17:31.66. Sophomore Bailey Hall (Henrico, Va.) rounded out the roster with a 20th-palce finish in 17:42.81.
200 Back
Junior Sophie Rittenhouse (London, England) set her second lifetime-best in as many days, taking third in the 200 back with an NCAA-qualifying 1:57.80. It was her first time under 1:58 in the event, and the third-fastest time in school history. Senior Noelle Klockner (Marlboro, N.J.) was 13th overall in 2:03.77, and Fuller, making a quick turnaround from the mile, took 16th in 2:07.61. SophomoresShannon Harrington (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Emma Merrill (Fairfax, Va.) placed in the bonus finals, with Harrington timing 2:04.72 for 20th and Merrill 2:06.13 for 23rd overall.
100 Free
In the 100 free, junior Jaimie Miller (Houston, Texas) claimed another bronze medal in 50.24 seconds. Jess Crowley (Acton, Mass.) swam her second lifetime-best of the day for 11th overall in 51.46, improving to 13th all-time at W&M, and senior Jessie Ustjanauskas (West Hartford, Conn.)also picked up her second PB in 51.69 for 13th place overall. Ustjanauskas now ranks 16th in school history among athletes. Freshman Annie Miller (Houston, Texas) was 14th overall in 51.88 seconds, and junior Georgie Crompton (Brooklandville, Md.) finished 16th in 51.97 seconds. Freshman Emily Schroeder (West Windsor, N.J.) was 22nd overall in the “C” finals, stopping the clock in 52.67 seconds.
200 Breast
Junior Allie Christy (Williamsburg, Va.) finished her week with a silver medal in the 200 breast, swimming 2:16.81, the seventh-fastest time in school history. Freshman Claire Williams (Apex, N.C.)was sixth overall, stopping the clock in 2:20.97, and senior Jenny Lomicka (Henrico, Va.) finished 11th in the consolation finals with a time of 2:20.48. Harrington touched the wall in 2:20.90 for 12th in her second final of the night, just ahead of Annie Valls (Miami, Fla.) who tied for 13th overall at 2:21.69. Freshman Brooke Bruno (Media, Pa.) turned in her best time of the year in 2:22.37 for 15th overall, and senior Courtney Mizerak (Manassas, Va.) was 21st in the bonus finals at 2:23.91.
200 Fly
The freshman Oceguera had her second great race of the evening in the 200 fly, finishing fifth overall in 2:02.35. That was the 13th-fastest time in school history, and lifts Oceguera into fifth all-time among Tribe athletes. Sophomore Abby Mack (Wayne, Pa.) was eighth overall with a time of 2:03.92, and in the consolation heat, sophomore Rachel Anderson (Clifton, Va.) placed 10th in a time of 2:03.62. That improved Anderson to eighth in school history.
400 Free Relay
The final race of the weekend was the 400 free relay, where the Tribe put an emphatic exclamation point on the victory. The team of Crompton, Crowley, Ustjanauskas, and Jaimie Miller took second overall in 3:23.94, the fifth-fastest time in school history.
With the fall season now complete, William & Mary as a whole heads into the holiday break and a month off before the January training trip. A select few athletes may compete the week after Thanksgiving at the USA Swimming AT&T Winter Nationals, Dec. 3-5 in Federal Way, Wash.
2015 Bucknell Invitational
1. William & Mary 1,315.5
2. Connecticut 1,219
3. Buffalo 1,073.5
4. Bucknell 909.5
5. Fordham 859.5
6. Georgetown 791.5
7. La Salle 446
8. Binghamton 231.5
9. Delaware 108
Fordham:
The Fordham swimming & diving team wrapped up their stay at the Bucknell Invitational on Sunday in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The Rams had another solid performance on the final day, as the women finished fifth in the team competition and eighth in the men’s.
William & Mary won the women’s competition with 1315.5 points, followed by Connecticut (1219), Buffalo (1073.5), Bucknell (909.5), Fordham (859.5), Georgetown (791.5), La Salle (446), Binghamton (231.5), and Delaware (108).
On the men’s side, William & Mary post the top team score with 1597 points, followed by Buffalo (1476), Connecticut (1020), Bucknell (777.5), La Salle (687.5), Georgetown (581), Binghamton (401), Fordham (386), and Delaware (42).
As they have the past two days, junior Megan Polaha and senior Steve Sholdra highlighted the Rams’ performances. Sholdra kicked off the night of finals by winning the 1650 freestyle event in an NCAA “B” cut time of 15:27.32. Later, he took second in the 200 butterfly in a season-best time of 1:48.50. Chris Viera joined Sholdra in the scoring in the 200 butterfly, placing 14th (1:52.39).
In the women’s 200 butterfly, Polaha took first overall in a school record and NCAA “B” cut time of 1:58.47, besting her own 2014 mark of 1:58.51. Three other Rams also scored in the women’s 200 butterfly, as Kalena Laurent placed 11th (2:05.59), Jacqueline Dominger was 17th (2:05.96), and Erin Gray took 24th (2:11.12).
Fifteen other Rams scored on the final day of the Bucknell Invitational. Erin McBride started the scoring in the 1650 freestyle, taking 18th overall in 17:36.53.
Then in the 200 backstroke, Morgan Fairclough placed eighth in a season-best time of 2:02.42, whileTheresa Goehring was 11th in 2:03.25. In the men’s event, Miguel Mattox took 13th overall in a season-best time of 1:52.16 with Ethan D’Arcangelo taking 24th in 1:54.71.
In the 100 freestyle, Chandler Lulleywas the top performance, as she took seventh in a season-best time of 51.20 seconds, followed by Shannon Lulley in 10th (51.35) and Megan Gray in 18th(51.97). Liam Semple was the lone men’s swimmer to score in the 100 freestyle, placing 17th in a season-best time of 46.93 seconds.
The 200 breaststroke saw three women score, led by Marie Feneron, who was eighth in a season-best time of 2:21.56, while Megan Gehrich took 16th overall (2:23.85) and Anna Marshall was 18th (2:22.31).
In diving, Colin Esterine-Reid placed 20th overall in the three-meter dive with a score of 187.15, whileChristopher Craig was 22nd with a total of 168.60 points.
In the final event of the invitational, the women’s 400 freestyle relay team of S. Lulley, M. Gray, Laurent, and C. Lulley placed fifth in a season-best time of 3:27.87, while the men’s squad of Semple, Thomas Gillespie, Jack Madigan, and Sholdra finished 14th in a season-best time of 3:10.27.
The Fordham swimming & diving teams will next be in action on Wednesday, December 2nd, when the Rams host Manhattan for a 6:00 PM meet.
UConn:
LEWISBURG, Pa. — The University of Connecticut women’s swimming and diving team completed its three-day outing at the Bison Invitational, hosted by Bucknell University. The Huskies took second place at the event, totaling 1,219 points. The Bison also hosted Delaware, Fordham, Binghamton, Georgetown, William & Mary, Buffalo and La Salle.
Over the course of the meet, the Huskies placed in the top-three of 13 different events. Freshman Jackie Van Lew (Tinton Falls, N.J.) had an impressive showing individually and as a member of multiple relay teams. The newcomer won the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1:48.96. She touched the wall second in the 500-yard freestyle (4:54.07).
Van Lew joined classmates Annika Grewal (Oakville, Ontario) and Madeline Blair (Bethlehem, Pa.) along with junior Margot Manning (Frederick, Md.) in the 200-yard freestyle relay, coming in second in a time of 1:34.27. Grewal and Van Lew also swam to a second-place finish (3:44.45) in the 400-yard medley relay with senior Laura Ruttan (Stittsville, Ontario) and junior Sophie Nothnagle (Victor, N.Y.).
Blair, Nothnagle, Van Lew and Manning teamed up in the 400-yard freestyle relay, checking in third in a time of 3:25.09. The quartet swam to a second in the 800-yard freestyle relay (7:26.82).
Manning claimed third-place in the 200-yard IM (2:04.01) while Nothnagle swam the 100-yard butterfly in 55.18 for her own third-place finish. Nothnagle was also second in the 200-yard butterfly (1:58.96).
Grewal touched the wall in 1:57.30 to come in second in the 200-yard backstroke and juniorChristine Pedersen (Vinterbro, Norway) was fourth (2:00.60). Junior Jamie Lynn Brookover (Cherry Hill, N.J.) clinched third place by swimming the 100-yard backstroke in 55.46.
On the diving side, junior Monica Marcello(Middletown, Conn.) won the three-meter competition with 309.15 points. Senior Taryna Urbanus (Quincy, Mass.) and junior Alexandra Butera (Havertown, Pa.) were second and third, respectively. On the one-meter platform, Urbanus claimed the top spot with 293.35 points while Butera was the runner-up and Marcello checked in at fifth.
Buffalo:
LEWISBURG, PA – The final day of the Bucknell Invite will be a memorable one for the Bulls when they look back on their 2015-16 season. While the Bulls had many memorable performances on the final day of the Bucknell Invite, Julia Box‘s performance in the 200 yard butterfly heads into the UB athletics history for breaking the school’s record the event. Even more impressive, she broke the previous top-time in school history by more than one second.
Her record-setting time of 2:00.36 was good enough for a third-place finish and beat the former record holder, Brittney Walters, time of 2:01.38, which she set last season on the final day of the MAC Championships.
“Julia has been working very hard in the pool and getting stronger,” head swimming and diving coach Andy Bashor said reacting to Box’s accomplishment on Sunday. “Breaking the school record in the 200 fly is a direct result from the work she has put in. I am very happy for her.”
Two other Bulls finished in the top-eight of the 200 yard butterfly. The aforementioned Walters finished sixth in the event with a time of 2:03.72, while Saoire Palu-Benson finished fourth with a time of 2:01.64.
Megan Burns capped off a successful performance at the three-day Bucknell Invite by hitting an NCAA “B Cut” in the 100 yard freestyle. Her time of 49.02 beat out fellow UB swimmer Sarah Baxter by more than a second for first place. Burns win in the 100 yard freestyle capped off a weekend that included two individual and two relay wins for the Rochester, NY native.
Scott Huang won the 200 yard breaststroke and achieved an NCAA “B Cut” with his time of 1:59.43. Garrett Clarke finished third by swimming the event in a time of 2:00.68.
Three Bulls finished in the top-eight of the men’s 100 yard freestyle. Mason Miller finished second with a time of 45.33, while Eric Jensen and Antonio Lanzi finished in sixth and eighth place.
Jessica Powers won the 1650 yard freestyle. She swam the event in 16:38.59 and 11 seconds faster than her closest competitor. Hannah Miller raced to a sixth-place finish with a time of 16:58.48.
Charles Barry, Reid Zyniecki, and Bill Caffee finished second, third, and fourth in the men’s 1650 freestyle with times of 15:37.14, 15:47.00, and 15:55.22, respectively.
Billy Patrum placed fifth in the 200 yard butterfly, while Barry finished eighth.
UB’s men’s diving team were successful in the well on Sunday in the three-meter dive. Troy Birdsall and Nicholad Rodriquez finished first and second with scores of 328.50 and 327.10, respectively. Derek Linebaugh and Daniel Roche also finished in the top-eight by placing fifth and seventh.
Coach Bashor was pleasantly pleased with how the UB swimming and diving program competed at the Bucknell Invite over the three days of competition.
“I am proud of the way the team competed this weekend. It was a great, competitive meet and we rose to the challenge. The team has been committed to the training and it showed this weekend.”
The men finished second at the Bucknell Invite with 1476 points, while the women placed third as a team with 1073.5 points. William and Mary men’s and women’s teams both won the BucknellInvite with 1597 and 1315.5 points, respectively.
UB will next compete in January when the Bulls travel to take on Niagara on the 15th. The men’s team will then host MAC rivals Miami (OH) on the 16th. Both matches are set to start at 1:00 pm.
La Salle:
Men-
LEWISBURG, Pa.- The La Salle men’s swimming and diving team closed out the Bucknell Imitational, finishing in fifth place overall during the three day event. Three Explorers finished the day with top-five finishes.
Two Explorers reached the 200 yard backstroke A Finals with sophomore Fabian Bergmanturning in a fourth place finish. Bergman touched in 1:48.81. Teammate junior Jerry Gravel touched in seventh place with a time of 1:50.14 to earn 23 points towards the team score.
Freshman Aleksandar Nikolic finished in tenth place in the 100 yard freestyle race. Nikolic touched in 46.62 which was the second fastest time in the B Finals, just .56 seconds behind the top time in the B Finals. Senior Jonathan Cabral also reached the finals, finishing in 19th place with a time of 47.18.
Senior Johan Roth finished in fourth place earning 26 points for the team in the 200 yard breaststroke. Roth touched in 2:00.74, just 1.31 seconds behind the race winner. Junior Strahin Stankovic also reached the finals finishing in tenth place. Stankovic was the second swimmer to touch in the B Finals with a time of 2:04.01, just .03 seconds behind the winner.
Sophomore Jakub Bartosiewicz tied for fifth place in the 200 yard butterfly thanks to a time of 1:51.79 to earn 24.5 points towards the team score.
Sophomore Dylan Yurasits was the final diver to qualify for the three meter diving finals on Sunday finishing in eighth place in the prelims. In the finals, Yurasits finished with a score of 303.70 for sixth place and 24 team points. Senior CJ Gimpel finished in 11th with a score of 246.85 in the prelims and sophomore Chase Ott also dove finishing in 23rd with a score of 166.95.
The La Salle 400 yard freestyle relay team finished in fifth place thanks to a time of 3:06.67. The team of Stankovic, Cabral, Roth, and Nikolic earned 40 points towards the team score.
The Explorers return to action as some will head to the Winter National Championships while the remainder of the team will head to Ithaca for the Ithaca College Bomber Invite on December, 4.
Women-
LEWISBURG, Pa.- La Salle junior Eva Marie Østerhus broke the school’s 200 yard butterfly record on the final day of the Bucknell Invitational.
Østerhus finished in ninth place with a time of 2:03.47, which was the fastest time in the B Finals to score 20 points for the Explorers. The time broke the school record of 2:04.50 which had been held by Marlana Root since 2002.
Junior Kate Hay finished in 19th place in the 200 yard freestyle finals thanks to a time of 52.10. Hay was just .56 seconds off the top time in the C Finals of the event.
Sophomore Danielle Thomas swam a 2:27.32 in the 200 yard breaststroke final to finish in 24thplace in the event.
The La Salle relay team of freshman Olivia DiStefano, Hay, Østerhus, and sophomore Emma Smithswam a 3:29.16 for an eighth place finish in the 400 yard freestyle relay.
Swimming news courtesy of Bucknell, William & Mary, Fordham, Buffalo, UConn, and La Salle Swimming & Diving.