Navy kept a hold on its leads during the second day of the 2013 Patriot League Swimming and Diving Championships in front of a sellout crowd at Bucknell’s Kinney Natatorium.
Navy built a 200-plus cushion in the points standings on the men's side, as the Mids have 655 points. Army is in second place with 436 points, while Bucknell is in third with 359.5. Lehigh is next in fourth with 275.5 points, while American is fifth with 181. Colgate sits in sixth with 145 points, with Lafayette (120) and Holy Cross (99) rounding out the men's standings.
The Mids added a few points to their lead in the women's race for the title. After leading by 56 points after Thursday's finals, Navy increased the advantage to 89 points, with the defending champions sitting at the top with 534. Colgate is in second with 445 points, with host Bucknell hot on its trail with 421. Army sits in fourth with 360 points, with Lehigh running fifth with 219 and Lafayette sixth with 126. Holy Cross has 94 points in seventh, and American has 72 in eighth place.
Navy started the second day with a pair of relay victories. The Mids won the women’s 200 medley relay in 1:42.19, coming in ahead of second-place Bucknell (1:43.31). Colgate clocked a 1:44.99 to win bronze.
The Mids added a title in the men’s 200 medley relay, falling just three-hundredths of a second shy of the meet record. Navy won in 1:28.63, while Army captured silver with a time of 1:30.39. Third place went to Lehigh in 1:31.52.
Colgate stayed within striking distance of Navy thanks to taking first and third in the women’s 400 IM. Emma Santoro captured the title in 4:19.72, and Megan Jex took the bronze medal in 4:23.69. Bucknell’s Stephanie Koziol was second in 4:19.87, which helped the Bison jump over the Raiders into second place in the team standings for the moment. The Raiders have feasted in the 400 IM with five straight wins in the event at the championships.
Justin Vagts broke the Patriot League and meet record in the men’s 400 IM and was the top qualifier in the morning preliminary session with a time of 3:49.76. In the evening finals session, Vagts bettered his morning mark by one-hundredth of a second, taking a lead during the final 100 yards during the freestyle stroke to overcome Bucknell’s Mike Nicholson, who settled for second in 3:51.31. American’s Dylan Rasnick captured bronze in 3:57.20. It is Vagts’ third title in the event. Nicholson won it in 2011.
Toni Paruso captured the women’s 100 fly championship for Navy, taking the 20 points with a time of 53.93. Army’s Molly Mucciarone added a silver medal to her haul with a 54.88 to take second, and Navy’s Rheanna Vaughn won third by clocking a 55.49. Paruso is the third three-time winner of the event, joining Colgate’s Erin McGraw and Navy’s Tori Throckmorton.
Ben Bondurant completed the Mids’ sweep of the 100 fly by taking the men’s title with a time of 48.10. Army picked up big points with Michael Dustin edging teammate Ayman Andrews for the silver. Dustin swam a 48.62, Andrews a 48.63. Navy also placed swimmers fourth through sixth in the event, and Army collected seventh-place points. The Mids have won four of the last five championships in the men’s 100 fly.
Bucknell’s Lauren Perry took gold in the women’s 200 free in 1:49.24, besting her morning prelim time by just over one-quarter of a second. Colgate’s Lindsey Sagasta placed second in 1:49.55, while Lehigh’s Carolyn Koch captured the bronze by clocking a 1:49.66. Perry is Bucknell’s first winner in the event since Lectie Altman in 2003.
The Navy men swept the medals in the men’s 200 free, with Hugh Davison capturing the gold with a time of 1:37.01. Riley Mita was second in 1:37.21, while Thomas Duvall was close behind for the bronze when he touched the wall in 1:37.56. In all, just 55-hundredths of a second separated the top three placers.
Gorinski became a four-time champion in the 100 breast when she clocked a winning time of 1:02.59. She is the first in League history to capture the race in all four years of her collegiate career. Navy’s Ellen Bradford timed a 1:03.48 to take the silver, and Bucknell’s Emily Norton clocked a 1:04.27 to secure third.
Gorinski was also part of Navy’s winning foursome in the 200 medley relay to open the night, giving her a career-record 19 victories at the League meet. Her 100 breast victory was her 10th individual race win at the League championships, tying her with former Navy standout Tara Chapmon for the career mark.
Ben Grove captured the men’s 100 breast title in 54.45, breaking the championship meet record for the second time Friday. Grove and teammate Sean Murphy tied for the top qualifying spot with a time of 54.63, which also eclipsed the meet record that had stood since 2003. Murphy wound up taking second in 54.66, and the Mids completed a 1-2-3 sweep with Luke Hoffer winning bronze in 55.14.
Bucknell freshman Emma Levendoski won her first collegiate individual gold when she won the women’s 100 back in 54.85. Colgate’s Lia Kunnapas claimed the silver medal with a time of 56.01, and fellow Raider Morgan Cohara was close behind with a time of 56.07 to win the bronze.
Brendan Walsh became the third Navy swimmer in three years to capture the men’s 100 back. He touched the wall first in 48.71, 14-hundredths faster than his morning qualifying time. Navy’s Joe Stark was the runner-up in 48.76, just five-hundredths off the winning pace, and American’s Bobby Ballance claimed third in 49.68.
Bucknell’s Tara Boyle successfully defended her title in the women’s one-meter dive. She scored 243.20 points, nearly identical to her winning tally from a year ago. American’s Melissa Parker claimed second with 240.85 points, while the Bison picked up more points with Katie Hetherington taking third place with 238.65 points.
The final events of the night were the 800 free relays. Colgate captured the victory on the women’s side with a time of 7:23.27, edging Navy in an exciting finish. The Mids took second 7:23.91. It was a battle to the end, with lead changing several times, including in the final leg when Colgate’s Lia Kunnapas narrowly beat out Gorinski by 15-hundredths of a second. Army won bronze with a time of 7:31.77.
Navy won the final event of the night when the men captured the men’s 800 free relay. It’s the Mids’ sixth straight victory in the event, and they won in 6:34.70. Army placed second with a time of 6:40.71, with Bucknell collecting the bronze in 6:43.62.
The third and final day of the championships gets underway Saturday with trials at 10:30 a.m. Finals are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., with senior recognition taking place before. In addition, the slowest heats of the 1,650 free are scheduled for 3:40 p.m.
Day Two Results
Women’s 200 Medley Relay – Navy (Kellie Darmody, Laura Gorinski, Toni Paruso, Emily Brown) – 1:42.19
Men’s 200 Medley Relay – Navy (Brendan Walsh, Sean Murphy, Ben Bondurant, Robbie Parker) – 1:28.63
Women’s 400 IM – Emma Santoro, Colgate – 4:19.72
Men’s 400 IM – Justin Vagts, Navy – 3:49.75 ^
Women’s 100 Fly – Toni Paruso, Navy – 53.93
Men’s 100 Fly – Ben Bondurant, Navy – 48.10
Women’s 200 Free – Lauren Perry, Bucknell – 1:49.24
Men’s 200 Free – Hugh Davison, Navy – 1:37.01
Women’s 100 Breast – Laura Gorinski, Navy – 1:02.59
Men’s 100 Breast – Ben Grove, Navy – 54.63 &
Women’s 100 Back – Emma Levendovski, Bucknell – 54.85
Men’s 100 Back – Brendan Walsh, Navy – 48.71
Women’s 1-meter Diving – Tara Boyle, Bucknell – 243.20
Women’s 800 Free Relay – Colgate (Lindsey Sagasta, Morgan Cohara, Emma Santoro, Lia Kunnapas) – 7:23.27
Men’s 800 Free Relay – Navy (Danny Quinn, Riley Mita, Thomas Duvall, Hugh Davison) – 6:34.70
^ - Patriot League and Championship record
& - Championship record
Men’s Standings – After Two Days
1. Navy – 655
2. Army – 436
3. Bucknell – 359.5
4. Lehigh – 275.5
5. American – 181
6. Colgate – 145
7. Lafayette – 120
8. Holy Cross – 99
Women’s Standings – After Two Days
1. Navy – 534
2. Colgate – 445
3. Bucknell – 421
4. Army – 360
5. Lehigh – 219
6. Lafayette – 126
7. Holy Cross – 94
8. American – 72
