The Westminster College men's swimming and diving program earned its sixth Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) title Saturday evening at the PAC Swimming & Diving Championships.
The Titans totaled 827.5 points over the three-day event. Grove City College finished second with 582.5 points, followed by Saint Vincent College in third with 524 points. Washington & Jefferson College finished fourth (478) and Bethany College finished fifth (139).
Westminster also captured league titles in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2013.
The PAC Championships were held in conjunction with Grove City's 25th annual James E. Longnecker Swimming and Diving Invitational and the ninth annual Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championships at the James E. Longnecker Competition Pool. Longnecker Pool has been the home of the conference's swimming and diving championships since 1990.
Westminster senior Steven Brooks (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) claimed PAC Swimmer of the Year honors for the third straight year, while W&J sophomore Josh Vasko (McKeesport, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) collected his second straight PAC Diver of the Year award.
PAC Swimming Coach of the Year honors went to Westminster's Rob Klamut with W&J's Vic Galati earning the PAC Diving Coach of the Year award.
Westminster won the PAC's Team Sportsmanship Award.
Brooks made it three straight PAC titles in both the 100 back (B-cut, Longnecker Pool record time of 49.35) and 200 back (B-cut, Longnecker Pool record time of 1:49.66) and finished second in the 50 free (B-cut time of 20.64). He also swam on Westminster's winning 400 free (3:06.33), 200 medley (B-cut time of 1:32.30) and 400 medley (B-cut, Longnecker Pool record time of 3:22.54) relays.
Vasko claimed conference titles in both the one-meter (434.95) and three-meter (399.45) events, earning his second straight PAC crown on the one-meter board.
Saint Vincent junior Matt Crum (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) won the 1650 (16:40.56) after earning a third place finish in the event a season ago.
Westminster junior Matthew Baurle (Jeannette, Pa./Penn-Trafford) posted his third straight conference title in the 200 breast (B-cut time of 2:03.74) while Grove City sophomore Jeremy Kim (Frederick, Md./New Life Christian) won his second straight PAC crown in the 200 fly (B-cut time of 1:52.77).
The Grove City College women's swimming and diving team captured its seventh straight Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) championship Saturday night by rallying past Westminster College during the final night of action at the 2014-15 PAC Swimming & Diving Championships.
Grove City finished with 808.5 team points while Westminster totaled 802. Westminster held a 523-519 lead at the conclusion of Friday's championship finals.
Grove City trailed by as many as 23 points Saturday evening and claimed its conference-leading 13th title after winning the night's final event, the 400 free relay, with a time of three minutes, 31.62 seconds. Members of the Wolverines' winning relay included senior Lauren Cassano (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township), senior Tori Baker (Fairfax, Va./Robinson), sophomore Megan Smith (Tyler, Texas/Kolbe Academy) and sophomore Abby Jank (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington).
The victory in the 400 free relay was Grove City's eighth straight at the league championships.
Washington & Jefferson College finished in third place with 446 points. Saint Vincent College finished fourth with 425.5 points and was followed by Chatham University (287) in fifth place and Bethany College (184) in sixth place.
The PAC Championships were held in conjunction with Grove City's 25th annual James E. Longnecker Swimming and Diving Invitational and the ninth annual Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championships at the James E. Longnecker Competition Pool. Longnecker Pool has been the home of the conference's swimming and diving championships since 1990.
The PAC Swimmer of the Year award went to Westminster freshman Megan Douds (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) while W&J senior Jennifer Suder (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) won her third straight PAC Diver of the Year award.
PAC Swimming Coach of the Year honors went to Westminster's Rob Klamut while W&J's Vic Galati collected PAC Diving Coach of the Year honors.
Saint Vincent won the PAC's Team Sportsmanship Award.
Douds won individual titles in the 100 fly (B-cut time of 56.76) and 200 fly (B-cut time of 2:07.57) and posted a third-place finish in the 50 free (24.13). She also swam on the Titans' winning 400 medley relay (3:55.74), their second-place 800 free (7:54.99) and 200 free (1:38.28) relays and third-place 400 free (3:37.25) relay.
Suder claimed her third straight PAC title on the three-meter board with a winning score of 493.85 points. She also won the one-meter title on Saturday with a PAC Championship meet record score of 470.80.
Grove City senior Lauren Cassano (Venetia, Pa./Peters Twp.) won her fourth straight conference title in the 200 back with a time of 2:07.10. She captured PAC titles in both the 100 back and 200 back from 2012-15.
Westminster sophomore Sam Tower (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional) won the 200 breast title with a time of 2:25.83 after finishing third in the event a year ago.
