George Washington Sweeps Atlantic-10 Conference Championships (Full Recap)
The George Washington University men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams clinched Atlantic 10 Conference titles on Saturday in Hampton, VA. The men have won four consecutive conference titles and seven titles in the last eight years, while the women nabbed their third consecutive title with four titles in the last five years.
Final Team Scores
Men
- George Washington University: 844
- University of Massachusetts: 455.5
- St. Bonaventure University: 435
- George Mason University: 422
- Davidson College: 408.5
- Fordham University: 386
- La Salle University: 347
- St. Louis University: 185
Women
- George Washington University: 890
- University of Richmond: 470
- Fordham University: 413.5
- Duquesne University: 404
- George Mason University: 306
- Davidson College: 303.5
- University of Massachusetts: 296
- St. Bonaventure University: 234
- La Salle University: 165
- University of Rhode Island: 148
- St. Louis University: 95
Day One
The George Washington Revolutionaries took charge of the meet right out of the gate. The GW quartet of Marlee Rickert, Ava DeAngelis, Moriah Freitas, and Barbara Schaal won the 200 medley relay in a meet and conference record time of 1:38.23. On the men’s side, GW also took gold, with Karol Mlynarczyk, Preston Lin, Djurdje Matic, and Ganesh Sivaramakrishnan touching in 1:25.70.
The Revolutionaries also swept the 800 free relays, with the women (Phoebe Wright, Julia Knox, Olivia Tighe, Ava Topolewski) finishing in another meet and conference record time of 7:10.63 and the men (Toni Dragoja, Misha Lyubavskiy, Daniel Nagy, Connor Rogers) finishing in a similar fashion with a 6:24.92.
Andrew Bell, a sophomore from the University of Massachusetts, won the men’s 1-meter diving event with 381.75 points.
Day Two
Come Day Two, George Washington was already sitting comfortably atop the team rankings. GW freshman Zoe Schneider won the 500 free with a 4:44.37. Davidson’s Dylan Felt took the men’s event in a conference and meet record time of 4:16.58.
Fordham’s Ainhoa Martin won the women’s 200 IM in 1:58.25. GW’s Connor Rogers won the men’s 200 IM with a 1:44.74, just two one-hundredths shy of Marek Osina’s (George Washington) conference record, which was set in 2022.
The women’s 50 free brought about a tie for first place between Richmond’s Meli Nwakalor and George Mason’s Ali Tyler (22.78). GW’s Djurdje Matic set yet another conference and meet record, winning the men’s 50 free in 19.54.
GW once again led a relay sweep, this time in the 200 free relay. Chloe Hernandez, Barbara Schaal, Marlee Rickert, and Moriah Freitas set yet another conference and meet record with a 1:30.48. Toni Dragoja, Djurdje Matic, Ethan Tulenko, and Ganesh Sivaramakrishnan won in a time of 1:18.54.
Olivia Paquetta clinched GW’s first diving event of the meet as she won the women’s 1 meter with 287.40 points.
Day Three
Courtesy: Atlantic 10 Conference
GW still maintained its lead through Day Three, however, Fordham was in a tight battle for second place with Richmond on the women’s side and St. Bonaventure on the men’s.
Fordham’s Jess Zebrowski opened the finals session with a win in the 100 fly (53.24), just touching out GW’s Moriah Freitas (53.42). GW’s Djurdje Matic won the men’s 100 fly in a 45.17, setting a conference and meet record in the process.
Fordham junior Ainhoa Martin narrowly beat out GW freshman Zoe Schneider in the women’s 400 IM, 4:15.06 to 4:15.63. GW junior Connor Rodgers edged out his teammate Mikhail Lyubavskiy in the men’s event, 3:46.88 to 3:47.02.
In the women’s 200 free, GW’s Phoebe Wright took the win with a 1:47.18. On the men’s side GW’s Toni Dragoja threw down a 1:33.25 just ahead of Davidson’s Dylan Felt (1:33.83) for a new conference and meet record time.
GW’s Ava DeAngelis dipped under the 1:00 mark for the first time in the 100 breast going 59.75, winning the event and breaking the conference and meet records in the process. Andrea Sovoca secured La Salle’s first win of the meet, going 52.72 in the men’s 100 breast.
George Mason’s Ali Tyler took the win in the women’s 100 back (53.48), and GW’s Ganesh Sivaramakrishnan followed up with a win the men’s 100 back (46.91).
What is an A-10 Conference meet finals session without a GW relay sweep? The relay of Marlee Rickert, Ava DeAngelis, Moriah Freitas, and Barbara Schaal once again set another conference and meet record, this time in the 400 medley relay (3:35.19). On the men’s side, the relay of Ganesh Sivaramakrishnan, Ralf Roose, Djurdje Matic, and Toni Dragoja also set conference and meet records, going 3:05.78.
UMass’ Andrew Bell continued to dominate the boards. Bell won the men’s 3 meter diving event with 406.95 points.
Day Four
GW opened the last session of the meet with a bang. GW’s Ava Topolewski broke the conference and meet records in the 1650. She dropped over 20 seconds from her seed time and dipped under the 2023 NCAA Championship Invite time by over five seconds. Davidson’s Dylan Felt took the men’s 1650 in a conference and meet record time of 14:55.89.
Duquesne’s Haley Scholer out-touched GW’s Phoebe Wright (1:55.69) to win the women’s 200 back in a time of 1:55.48. George Mason’s Tate Anderson secured his first win of the meet in the men’s 200 back (1:44.52).
George Mason’s Ali Taylor won her third event of the meet with the 100 free (48.84) and broke the meet record in the process. GW’s Toni Dragoja continued to display his dominance by winning the men’s event just ahead of La Salle’s Felix Jedbratt (42.95) and setting new meet and conference records (42.71).
Also adding to her list of wins was Ainhoa Martin (Fordham) in the women’s 200 breast. Dipping under the 2:10 mark, Martin broke the conference and meet records with a 2:09.55, which also was under the 2023 NCAA Championship Invite time. GW freshman Ralf Roose cruised to a win in the men’s 200 breast, winning in a time of 1:56.12 and breaking the conference and meet records.
GW’s Moriah Freitas won the women’s 200 fly by nearly two seconds (1:57.71) but was just two tenths shy of the conference record. GW’s Connor Rodgers took the men’s event in a record setting time of 1:44.36.
GW soared to a win in the women’s 400 free relay (Chloe Hernandez, Phoebe Wright, Olivia Tighe, Marlee Rickert) but came up two tenths short of a conference record in the event. GW’s Djurdje Matic, Toni Dragoja, Connor Rodgers, and Ganesh Sivaramakrishnan broke the conference and meet records in the men’s 400 free relay (2:53.25). Notably, Fordham (Alex Shah, Christian Taylor, Alex Wilhelm, Guy Gropper) also swam under the record, going 2:54.59.
Olivia Paquette of GW completed the diving event sweep, winning the 3 meter diving event with 325.20 points.
Awards
Fordham’s Ainhoa Martin was named the Women’s Most Outstanding Performer of the Year due to her record breaking performances. GW’s Zoe Schneider won Most Outstanding Rookie of the Year. Additionally, GW also earned Most Outstanding Diver of the Year with Olivia Paquette and her diving event sweep.
Davidson sophomore Dylan Felt and GW junior Connor Rodgers both won Men’s Outstanding Performers of the Year as both set multiple records and collected multiple wins. La Salle’s Andrea Savoca won Most Outstanding Rookie of the Year. The Most Outstanding Diver of the Year went to Massachusetts sophomore Andrew Bell.