Ben Irwin, Ela Habjan Set Conference Marks as Navy Sweeps Army
Ben Irwin and Patrick Colwell won two individual events each as Navy swept Army, the men winning a narrow 153-147 decision on Thursday night.
Navy’s women prevailed, 162-138, in the met at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Irwin swept the backstroke events. He went 46.18 in the 100 and 1:41.50 in the 200 back. The latter set the meet record by nearly two seconds, and it downed the school and Patriot League record that had been set in 2021 by Dominick Wallace (1:41.95).
He also led off on the winning 200 medley relay, with Juan Mora, Jonah Harm and Austin Lockhart, the Midshipmen setting a meet record of 1:24.90.
Irwin was second to Colwell in the 100 fly, Colwell winning in 46.54. Irwin’s ability to edge out Army’s James Pinter by .02 was an important point swing in the final margin, and that 1-2 proved decisive for the hosts. It meant that Army’s 1-2 finish in the 200 individual medley and a win in the 400 free relay to conclude the meet still fell just short.
Colwell also won the 200 fly in a 1-2 with Evan O’Dea.
Jonah Harm won the 50 free for Navy. Mora claimed the 200 breaststroke. His time of 52.49 seconds in the 100 breast lowered the program record, but it fell .01 seconds behind Army’s Kohen Rankin.
Navy cleaned up in diving. Blake Shaw won 3-meter with a score of 339.90, 1.65 points ahead of teammate Finnian Gelbach. The pair finished in th same order on 1-meter.
Army’s distance contingent got it off to a fast start. Ian Tansill led a 1-2-3 result in the 1,000 free, then Wes Tate set a meet record went he won the 200 free in 1:35.14. Tate also won the 500 free with Tansill fourth.
Rankin was third in the 200 breast. Alex Edwards, who had been second in the 100 back and 200 back, won the 200 IM in a 1-2 with Sam Wesley. Wesley was third in the 100 back and 200 back. Owen Harlow won the 50 free in a 1-2 with Ben Vorthmann. That pair was 2-3 in the 50 free, and they combined with Tate and Thomas Hadji to win the 400 free relay in 2:53.58, a meet mark that was .38 up on Navy.
Maya Novack and Ela Habjan led Navy’s women’s team to the victory. The duo bookended Riley Gavigan and Caroline Irwin in the 200 medley relay, setting a meet record of 1:38.70.
Habjan set a meet record in the 100 back in 52.87, clipping more than a second off Jamie Miller’s record. That was Navy’s program-best, and she also downed Kelly Hamilton’s 2017 Patriot League record of 53.23.
The 100 was a 1-2 with teammate Megan Murphy. Habjan did the same in the 200 back, winning in 1:55.79, a tenth up on teammate Gabi Baldwin.
Novack reigned in the sprints. She went 23.02 to win the 50 free and 49.97 in the 100 free, the latter .03 ahead of teammate Hannah Pratt. Pratt, Novack, Murphy and Tiffany Shields won the 400 free relay in 3:12.10.
Irwin swept butterfly, going 1:58.10 in the 200 and 53.82 in the 100. The latter was a 1-2 with Catherine Weaverling. Baldwin was second in the 200 free, second in the 200 back and third in the 200 IM.
Molly Webber got Army off to a roaring start. She won the 1,000 free in 9:58.91, then claimed the 200 free in 1:46.88. She had enough left in the tank to win the 500 free in 4:49.74. The latter, a 1-2 with Clara Williams, gave the Black Knights a little bit of late momentum.
Aurelie Migault and Catriona Williams went 1-2 in both breaststroke events for Army. Minh Donnell swept diving.