Coming off its second straight sweep at the Patriot League Swimming and Diving championships, Navy was named the favorite in the 2013 preseason poll of the head coaches and sports information directors who could not cast ballots for their own teams.
Both Mid teams topped their respective voting with 160 points and 16 first-place votes. In the men’s poll, League newcomer Boston University took second with 141 points and three first-place votes, while 2013 championship runner-up Army was third with 137 points and the last remaining first-place ballot.
Bucknell came in fourth with 110 points, with Lehigh close behind with 100 points to take fifth. The League’s second newcomer, Loyola Maryland, finished sixth in the men’s voting with 68 points, while American (seventh, 60 points), Colgate (eighth, 57), Lafayette (ninth, 49) and Holy Cross (10th, 18) rounded out the men’s balloting.
Just as in the men’s poll, the Terriers claimed second in the women’s balloting with 140 points and four first-place votes. Third place went to Bucknell with 127 points, while Colgate claimed fourth with 113. Army eclipsed the century mark in points to claim fifth in the poll with 101. The rest of the poll featured Lehigh (sixth, 77 points), Loyola (seventh, 76), Lafayette (eighth, 49), American (ninth, 39) and Holy Cross (10th, 18).
With the Patriot League adding two additional members for the 2013-14 academic year, the swimming and diving championships have expanded to an additional half-day of competition. Navy will host the 2014 Patriot League Championships at Lejeune Hall in Annapolis, Md., from Wednesday-Saturday, Feb. 19-22. Wednesday’s single session will begin at 6 p.m., while Thursday, Friday and Saturday will follow the same schedule as in past years. Trials will begin at 10:30 a.m., and the evening sessions start at 6 p.m. A full schedule of events for the championships will be announced at a later date.
The dominance of the championships exhibited by the Navy men extended to a 10th straight year last February at Bucknell’s Kinney Natatorium in Lewisburg, Pa. The Mids captured the title with 995.5 points, more than 260 ahead of second-place Army. The women’s trophy also remained in Annapolis for a second consecutive year as the Mids garnered 836 points to repeat as champions. Bucknell, swimming in its home pool, finished second with 670 points, its best finish and highest point total since 2010.
The 2013-14 schedule gets underway Friday when American competes at the Potomac Relay Invitational in Washington beginning at 3 p.m. Army is scheduled to host new League foe Boston University as part of a tri-meet that includes the Vermont women at 5 p.m.
The first weekend of meets continues Saturday, with Navy scheduled to host Loyola and George Mason in a tri-meet in Annapolis at 9 a.m. Holy Cross is slated to open the season at 1 p.m. in the Assumption Pentathlon while Bucknell hosts UMBC, both at 1 p.m.
2013 Patriot League Preseason Swimming and Diving Polls
Men
1. Navy – 160 points (16 first-place votes)
2. Boston University – 141 (3)
3. Army – 137 (1)
4. Bucknell – 110
5. Lehigh – 100
6. Loyola Maryland – 68
7. American – 60
8. Colgate – 57
9. Lafayette – 49
10. Holy Cross – 18
Women
1. Navy – 160 points (16 first-place votes)
2. Boston University – 140 (4)
3. Bucknell – 127
4. Colgate – 113
5. Army – 101
6. Lehigh – 77
7. Loyola Maryland – 76
8. Lafayette – 49
9. American – 39
10. Holy Cross – 18
