In a final quest for conference championship seed times, some inspired senior meet swims, and close dual meets, there were a number of notable times from coast to coast in Division III this week.
Pomona-Pitzer Men Complete Perfect SCIAC Season
In a very rainy senior day the #8 Pomona-Pitzer men completed a SCIAC dual meet sweep (the first 8-0 finish in program history), while the #16 women also beat CalTech.
Lukas Menkhoff went a 20.82 50 free to lead off the team’s pool record setting 200 freestyle relay. His time is tied with MIT’s Sam Ubellacker for number two of the week in Division III. The rest of the relay team was Nick Borowsky (21.42), Nick Lewis (21.73), and Ryan Franzese (21.59). The quartet finished in 1:25.65, a full two seconds under the previous pool record. Menkhoff also won the 100 breaststroke in 56.96.
Pomona-Pitzer senior Jack Swanson led a one-two-three finish in the 200 free with his 1:43.08. he was followed by freshmen Paddy Baylis (1:44.78) and Jason Lu (1:44.85). Junior Will Abele won the 200 fly in 1:56.63. Abele also went the number two 500 free of the week in Division III, a 4:41.98. Senior Nathan Hahn won the 200 breaststroke in 2:08.63.
Senior backstrokers Angela Ling and Sarah Jin went one-two in the 100 back, with Ling posting a time of 57.96, the fastest in the country this week. In her final dual meet in Haldeman pool Madison Kauahi won the 100 free in 53.93. Freshman Alexandra Werner led a one through four finish in the 200 breaststroke, setting a new pool record of 2:21.49. Werner’s time was the fastest in the country this weekend by nearly three seconds.
Swarthmore Edges Gettysburg
Swarthmore College came out ahead in two very close dual meets against another of Pennsylvania’s best Division III swim teams, Gettysburg College.
The Bullets stepped up to defend their home pool, coming within nine points of the #14 Swarthmore men. Ultimately, the Swarthmore men won 135.5 to 126.5 while the Garnet women prevailed 134 to 128.
Men
Gettysburg opened the meet winning the 200 medley relay by a half second in 1:34.62. Duncan Prozmire made it two in a row for the Bullets, clocking a 9:44.71 1000 free. Swarthmore’s Alec Menzer put together a 1:43.12 200 free to hold off Gettysburg’s Danny Petrillo in 1:43.94.
Menzer’s teammate Jeffrey Tse ran away with the 100 backstroke, racing to a 50.61, the fastest time in the country this week. Tse also dominated the 200 back in 1:54.33 and the 100 fly in 49.94. The Garnet went one-two again behind Chris Smith (58.98) and Horace Shew (59.27) in the 100 breaststroke. Shew swam a 2:10.95 to win the 200 breaststroke.
In a race between two freshmen Gettysburg’s Oliver Pickering out touched Swarthmore’s Jeremy Rockaway 1:55.04 to 1:55.34 to win the 200 fly. Rockaway (1:57.59) and teammate Greg Kalminskii (1:57.82) were first and second in the 200 IM.
Aeden Collins stopped the clock in 21.62 to claim the 50 free for the Bullets. His teammate Francisco Nieves tied Swarthmore’s Alec Lawless for second in 21.84.
Gettysburg’s sprint depth shone through when they brought an entirely different top duo into the 100 free. Sam Nonemaker won the 100 free (47.03) and his teammate Petrillo was third (47.93) while Swarthmore’s Menzer (47.23) was runner up.
Proxmire followed up his 1000 with a 4:43.14 500 free. Menzer was second (4:47.14). A first and third place finish from Gettysburg in the 200 free relay narrowed the gap, but was not quite enough to win the meet.
Women
Swarthmore took the opening medley relay just four tenths ahead of Gettysburg. Gettysburg’s Katherine Sears then beat 2018 mile NCAA qualifier Hannah Kloetzer 10:46.07 to 10:50.59 to win the 1000. Swarthmore’s Sophia Lee out touched Gettysburg’s Megan Wojnar 1:58.58 to 1:58.79 to win the 200 free.
Swarthmore got a convincing 100 backstroke victory from Stephanie Tilneac (59.96). Katie Cooper fired back for Gettysburg, taking the 100 breaststroke in 1:08.69. In the very next event Swarthmore pushed back again as Liz Gallagher out touched Gettysburg’s Katie Jenkins 2:12.58 to 2:12.61 to win the 200 fly.
Gettysburg did not allow it to become two in a row, though as Kate Crilly touched in 24.88 to win the 50 free. The total back and forth continued with a 54.42 100 freestyle from Swarthmore’s Anna Kottakis ahead of Crilly’s 54.81.
Wojnar then added another victory for Gettysburg with a 2:10.92 200 back. Cooper helped the Bullets to their first consecutive victories of the entire afternoon with a 2:28.31 200 breaststroke.
After falling short in the 1000 free, Kloetzer battled back in the 500 free, swimming strong though the middle to win 5:18.29 to 5:18.85. Swarthmore made it two events in a row with a 1:00.22 100 fly from Gallagher, ahead of Jenkins in 1:01.09.
Swarthmore followed that up with a one-two finish in the 200 IM from Lee (2:14.61) and Scout Clark (2:14.77). A second place 200 freestyle relay from the Garnet was enough to secure the meet for the women.
Washington and Lee Dominant Again
Photo Courtesy: Washington and Lee Athletics
The #19 Washington and Lee women wrapped up a 9-0 season while the men completed an 8-1 year on Saturday at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Highlights included the Generals’ Caroline Barber‘s 24.73 50 free. In the 100 free her senior teammate Ali Macqueen out touched St. Mary’s’ Brenna Litynski 53.80 to 53.95 to win the 100 free. For Washington and Lee Danny Lynch (52.17) and Patrick Sullivan (52.50) posted 52 second 100 butterflies.
The Generals are dominant favorites to repeat as ODAC Champions when they dive in next Thursday, February 14 in Greensboro.
Other swims of note:
- Emory senior Trey Kolleck raced to a 20.60 50 free and a 45.30 100 free against Division I Georgia. His junior teammate Sage Ono clocked a 50.74 100 back, the number two time in Division III this week.
- Albion’s Mac Robertson swam a 4:41.09 500 free in a dual meet against Eastern Michigan. That’s only two seconds off the junior’s lifetime best.
- MIT’s junior Bouke Edskes swam the country’s fastest 100 (48.86) and 200 (1:50.12) butterflies of the week in a dual meet against Amherst. In that same meet Amherst junior Sean Mebust continued to excel, this week posting a 2:04.97 200 breaststroke.
- SUNY Geneseo sophomore Deidra Osula clocked a 23.98 50 freestyle at the team’s home invitational, just .03 shy of her lifetime best.
Photo Courtesy: Emory Athletics
- Emory’s Meg Taylor got off to a slow start this fall, but swam a 24.20 50 free against UGA on Saturday, just faster than teammate Fiona Muir in 24.30. Their freshman teammate Clio Hancock added two nation-leading times for the week, a 2:07.54 200 IM and a 2:05.62 200 fly.
- Last week’s NESCAC Performer of the Week Natalie Rumpelt of Amherst swam the country’s leading 200 freestyle of the week on Saturday against MIT in 1:53.82. Sunday against Springfield she added a leading 500 in 5:08.02.
- Bowdoin’s Mary Laurita swam the week’s fastest 100 fly, a 57.10, a new season best for the sophomore. Her junior teammate Marshall Lowery posted the number two 200 back, a 2:05.09.
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Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Womens team also had a perfect SCIAC season!
Kimberly Bathke Bergmann Ethan Bergmann
Gettysburg College Swimming
Congratulations, Swarthmore College! Great win…