UNC-Wilmington Sweeps CAA Championships With Dominant Performances
The UNC-Wilmington Seahawks stormed through the Colonial Athletic Association Championships this week in Hampton, Va., with the women’s team earning its first title in 17 years while the men concluded back-to-back championship performances. During the meet, women winning multiple individual events included UNCW’s Brooke Knisely, William and Mary’s Sophia Heilen and Delaware’s Mira Selling, and on the men’s side, UNCW’s Sam O’Brien, Jacob Duracinsky and Ethan Badrian each won two events while Towson’s Brian Benzing had three individual victories and the only national top-10 performance.
Women’s Team Standings
- UNC-Wilmington 803
- William and Mary 534.5
- Northeastern 527.5
- Delaware 520
- Towson 460
- Drexel 335
- Monmouth 177
- Stony Brook 148
Men’s Team Standings
- UNC-Wilmington 890
- Delaware 606
- Towson 577.5
- Drexel 507.5
- William and Mary 424.5
- Monmouth 241.5
Women’s Results
UNC-Wilmington’s dominant victory was highlighted with a quarter of individual wins. Brooke Knisely picked up a pair of those, starting off the meet with a first-place finish in the 500 freestyle (4:46.95) and later winning the 1650 free in 16:21.80. In between, Katie Knorr was victorious in the 400 IM (4:15.22). Courtney Klausen finished first in 3-meter diving (290.35).
Runnerup William and Mary was led by Sophia Heilen, who broke a CAA record in winning the 100 butterfly (52.96) before adding the 200 fly title as well (1:59.36). Katie Stevenson was also responsible for a CAA record, breaking the mark in the 100 free (48.37). Ellie Scherer won the 100 breaststroke (1:00.90), and Annie Tuttle took the 200 breast (2:13.45). The team of Kat Vanbourgondien, Scherer, Heilen and Stevenson combined to set CAA records in winning the 200 medley relay (1:38.53) and 400 medley relay (3:36.15).
Northeastern’s Jamie Koo broke the CAA meet record in the 50 free (22.21), and her teammate Anna Verlander won the 200 backstroke (1:55.87). Koo, Kotoko Blair, Nikita Pelletier and Kira Parker finished in 1:31.01 in the 200 free relay to claim the win.
Delaware’s Mira Selling set a CAA meet record in winning the 200 IM (1:58.08), and she added another title in the 200 free (1:45.66). Julia Servas captured the conference title in 1-meter diving (295.15). Erin Shema, Anthi Lyra, Natalie Dobrzykowski and Selling won the title in the 800 free relay in 7:12.05, and the same foursome, with Selling leading off and Shema anchoring, set a CAA record to win the meet-ending 400 free relay.
Finally, Towson’s Ally Frame won the 100 back (53.19).
Men’s Results
The men’s team for the Seahawks had three double winners and wins in all three freestyle relays on the way to a title. Sam O’Brien swam a CAA record to win the 500 free (4:19.02) before later winning the 1650 free (15:08.90), and teammate Jacob Duracinsky won the 200 free (1:35.17) and 100 free (43.37). Aidan Duffy finished first in the 400 IM (3:50.68), and in diving, Ethan Badrian won 1-meter (343.15) and 3-meter (356.15).
Duracinsky, Henderson Louviere, O’Brien and Kenneth Lowe set a CAA record of 6:23.97 on the way to an 800 free relay win, and two days later, E’Likai Crompton-English, Noah Sipowski, Duracinsky and David Fitch won the 200 free relay in 1:19.49. Finally, Duracinsky, Crompton-English, Louviere and Lowe concluded the meet with another conference record in the 400 free relay, clocking 2:52.73.
For Delaware, Gavin Currie broke the CAA record in a 200 back victory, clocking 1:42.35, and he joined with teammates Toni Sabev, Simeon Sabev and Matvei Namakonov to set a conference record of 1:24.92 in the 200 medley relay. Currie, Toni Sabev, Simeon Sabev and Miguel Vasquez won the 400 medley relay in 3:07.92.
Towson’s Brian Benzing was named the top swimmer of the meet after he set CAA records in the 200 IM (1:44.41) and 100 breast (51.25), and he also was victorious in the 100 fly (46.25). Benzing, who finished 13th in the 100 breast at last season’s NCAA Championships, now ranks seventh in the country in that event. Benzing’s teammate Michael Fazio was victorious in the 50 free (19.91).
Other individual winners included Callan Smith in the 100 back (46.56), and Drexel teammates Kacper Karnik in the 200 breast (1:57.37) and Kuba Kwasny in the 200 fly (1:44.45).
Official Championships Meet Page
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