Navy & Harvard Win ECAC Crowns

CCSU Swimming and Diving Finishes ECAC Championships in 6th
Sophomore Megan McGorry and freshman Alex Czaplicki won their respective events on Sunday but it was not enough, as the Central Connecticut swimming and diving team finished sixth at the 2009 ECAC Championships at Harvard University.  McGorry won the 1650 freestyle by over seven seconds, touching in at 17:03.54.  Czaplicki finished the 200 backstroke in 2:00.27, just .55 seconds off of former Blue Devil Lindsey Snyder's school record.
 
The host Crimson won the meet with 494 total points, just edging out Rider's 470.5.  Towson, Marist and the Naval Academy were the other three teams to beat out CCSU this weekend.  The Blue Devils finished with 330 points, just in front of Loyola who totaled 295.
 
Five other individuals scored points for Central Connecticut on the final day of action.  Senior Heather Vendetta placed fifth in the 1650 with a lifetime best time of 17:26.50.  Freshman diver Mallory Miller took third in the one-meter event, scoring 215.60 points.
 
Senior Erin Crowley finished the 100 free in 52.61 to place 11th.  Freshman Kristen Malski and sophomore Alyssa Carlucci both scored points in the 200 breaststroke.  Malski took ninth, improving on her CCSU freshman record with a time of 2:24.22, while Carlucci was 14th, touching in at 2:28.70.  The final event of the championships was the 400 freestyle relay and the team of McGorry, Carlucci, Crowley and Czaplicki took sixth, recording a time of 3:33.31.
 
Fairfield University Swimming & Diving Concludes Action at ECAC Championships
The Fairfield University swimming team concluded competition at the 2009 ECAC Championships with two Stags finishing among the top-seven in their respective events as well as a pair of program records.

Freshman Lauren Kennedy (Belmont, Mass.) placed fifth in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:23.76, breaking her own school record of 2:24.29. Earlier in the competition, she was a member of two record-setting relays. In her first season with the Stags, Kennedy holds or is a part of seven program records.

Freshman Michelle Yoshida (Kaneohe, Hawaii) finished seventh in the women's 100 yard freestyle with a time of 51.86 seconds. Earlier in the competition, Yoshida placed sixth in the 50 free and ninth in the 100 back, setting a program record. She was also a member of three record-setting relay teams. In her first season with the Stags, Yoshida holds or is a part of 14 school records.

The 400 freestyle relay of Megan Reilly (Atlantic Highlands, N.J.), Kennedy, Katie Merz (Absecon, N.J.), and Teresa Garrity (Middlebury, Conn.) finished 13th with a time of 3:43.08.

Freshman Andrew Robinson (Manalapan, N.J.) became a part of his seventh school record as he posted a time of 48.17 seconds in the 100 free prelims. He broke the mark of 48.20 seconds that was set in 2002 by Tom Hansbury.

In the 1650, sophomore Jonathan O'Connor (Norwalk, Conn.) finished in a time of 16:53.68 while Tommy Peters (Basking Ridge, N.J.) finished in 17:23.64. O'Connor also posted a time of 1:58.83 in the prelims of the 200 fly.

In the prelims of the 100 free, Reilly had a personal best of 55.54 seconds while Garrity finished in 56.69 seconds. In the prelims of the 200 fly, Aly Criscuolo (Pittsford, N.Y.) recorded a personal best of 2:11.39.

In the prelims of the 200 back, freshman Stefan Toi (Newton, Conn.) posted a time of 1:59.16. Freshman Greg Bellizzi (Edison, N.J.) had a time of 49.37 seconds in the 100 free prelims. Freshman Brian Friedlander (River Edge, N.J.) clocked a time of 2:11.88 in the prelims of the 200 breaststroke.

The men's 400 freestyle relay of Boris Romanovsky (Marblehead, Mass.), Bellizzi, Toi, and Friedlander finished with a time of 3:20.33 in the prelims.

The women's team placed 11th overall, just one point behind Siena. Harvard won the women's meet while Rider was second (470.5), Marist was fourth (385), and Loyola was seventh (295). The men's team finished 17th overall. Navy captured the meet while Rider was third (416), Loyola was fourth (343), Marist was seventh (228), Niagara was 11th (111), and Iona was 13th (90). MAAC swimmers, divers, and coaches all received honors. Rider's Steve Fletcher was named Women's Coach of the Meet, while Broncs Priscilla and Drew Modrov were named the Women's and Men's Swimmers of the Meet. Niagara's Ian O'Rourke was named the Men's Diver of the Meet.

The 2009 season was a successful one for the Stags as 39 program records fell. The 16 ECAC qualifiers were the most in recent memory. At the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships, Fairfield had its first triple-champion in Yoshida and numerous top performances. The women's team (6-5) finished fifth while the men (6-4) placed seventh.