The Washington College men's swim team turned in its best performance in 20 years at the Centennial Conference Championships held Friday, yesterday, and today at Gettysburg College. The Shoremen finished second of seven teams overall, matching its program-best set in the conference's inaugural year of 1994 and matched the following winter. All told, the Shoremen won 15 medals (10 individual and five relay) and broke school records in 10 different events at the meet.
Senior Greg Lee (Haddonfield, N.J./Haddonfield Memorial) and junior Lucas Morgan(Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands Regional) paced the individual medalists. Lee won two gold medals, taking the 200 butterfly in a school-record and NCAA Division III Championship provisional qualifying (NCAA "B Cut") time of 1:53.56, and winning the 100 butterfly in 50.13 after swimming a school-record and NCAA "B Cut" time of 49.87 in the preliminaries. He was also sixth in the 200 individual medley in 1:55.52, led off the 200 freestyle relay with a 21.39 split to become the Shoremen's fifth-fastest 50 freestyle swimmer ever, and led off the 400 freestyle relay a 47.82 split to become the Shoremen's eighth-fastest 100 freestyle swimmer ever.
Morgan won three individual medals. He won gold in the 200 breaststroke in an NCAA "B Cut" and Washington College season-best time of 2:05.69 to better his own standing as the Shoremen's third-fastest swimmer ever in the event. He won silver in the 400 individual medley in a school-record and NCAA "B Cut" time of 4:04.45. He picked up a bronze medal in the 200 individual medley in 1:55.17 to become the Shoremen's third-fastest swimmer ever in that event. He also became the Shoremen's fourth-fastest swimmer ever in the 100 breaststroke with a 59.59 split in the 200 breaststroke.
Sophomore Pat Elliott (Media, Pa./Salesianum School [Del.]) provided the Shoremen with their other individual silver medal as he was second in the 500 freestyle in a school-record 4:39.84. He was also fifth in the 100 backstroke in 52.49 and sixth in the 200 backstroke in 1:55.08 after swimming a WC season-best 1:54.56 in the preliminaries. He broke the school's 100 backstroke record by leading off the 400 medley relay with a 52.24 backstroke leg.
Sophomore Brent Hochstein (Towsend, Del./Salesianum School), junior Brent Longenecker (Maytown, Pa./Donegal), freshman Kevin Mackenzie (Silver Spring, Md./St. John's College H.S. [D.C.]), and senior Austin Yocum (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) each won one individual bronze medal. Hochstein won his in the 200 butterfly in 1:56.07, adding that to a fifth-place finish in the 400 individual medley in 4:09.51 and a 10th-place finish in the 200 individual medley in 1:58.08.
Longenecker's bronze medal came in the 100 butterfly as he bettered his own standing as the Shoremen's third-fastest swimmer ever in the event with a 51.41. He was sixth in the 50 freestyle in 21.62, tying Lee as the Shoremen's fifth-fastest swimmer ever in that event. He placed ninth in the 100 freestyle in 47.28 and became the Shoremen's fifth-fastest 200 freestyle swimmer ever by leading off the 800 freestyle relay with a 1:46.62 leg.
Mackenzie won bronze in the 100 freestyle in a WC season-best 46.60, bettering his own standing as the Shoremen's second-fastest swimmer ever in the event. His fourth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke in 57.96 broke the school record. He was also fourth in the 50 freestyle in 21.55 after becoming the Shoremen's fourth-fastest swimmer ever in the event by swimming a WC season-best 21.38 in the preliminaries.
Yocum captured the bronze in the 200 freestyle in 1:43.11. He was also 12th in the 500 freestyle in 4:46.95 to better his own status as the team's second-fastest swimmer ever in the event and placed 12th in the 100 freestyle in 47.92.
The Shoremen's 200 freestyle relay team of Lee, Mackenzie, freshman Cody Weiler (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown Area), and Longenecker won silver in a school-record time of 1:25.27. Lee, Mackenzie, Longenecker, and Yocum won silver in the 400 freestyle relay in a school-record 3:08.92.
The Shoremen took bronze in the other three relay events. Elliott, Mackenzie, Lee, and Yocum broke the school record while taking bronze in the 400 medley relay in 3:26.56. Junior Charles Logan (Durham, N.C./Riverside), Mackenzie, Lee, and Yocum won bronze in the 200 medley relay in a school-record 1:33.85. Longenecker, Elliott, Morgan, and Yocum took bronze in the 800 freestyle relay in a WC season-best 7:01.99.
Weiler and Logan joined the Shoremen's individual medalists by placing in the top eight in one event each. Weiler was fifth in the 50 freestyle in 21.59 after becoming the Shoremen's seventh-fastest swimmer ever in the event with a 21.56 in the preliminaries. He was also 10th in the 100 backstroke in 53.36 to become the Shoremen's third-fastest swimmer ever in that event and 13th in the 100 freestyle in 48.14 to become the Shoremen's 10th-fastest swimmer ever in that event.
Logan placed eighth in the 100 backstroke in 53.28, bettering his own standing as the Shoremen's second-fastest swimmer ever in the event. He was 10th in the 200 backstroke in 1:57.86 to become the Shoremen's third-fastest swimmer ever in that event. He was 18th in the 100 butterfly in 53.74, fast enough to become the Shoremen's ninth-fastest swimmer ever in that event.
Junior DJ Bradshaw (Reisterstown, Md./Calvert Hall), freshman Finny Dorsch (Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield), senior Danny Furman (Glen Arm, Md./Calvert Hall), and sophomore Jason Mercando (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) also scored points in individual events for the Shoremen.
Bradshaw was 11th in the 50 freestyle in 22.06 and 15th in the 200 freestyle in 1:47.27 after becoming the Shoremen's seventh-fastest swimmer ever in the event with a 1:46.72 in the preliminaries. Dorsch placed 11th in the 1650 freestyle in 17:07.09 to become the Shoremen's fifth-fastest swimmer ever in the event. His 1000 split time of 10:22.49 made him the Shoremen's seventh-fastest swimmer ever in the 1000 freestyle. He was also 14th in the 400 individual medley in 4:24.54 to become the Shoremen's seventh-fastest swimmer ever in that event. Furman was 13th in the 200 butterfly in 2:00.70. Mercando placed 14th in the 100 freestyle. He also became the Shoremen's 10th-fastest swimmer ever in the 200 freestyle, tying for 17th in 1:47.83.
Gettysburg won its fifth consecutive Centennial Conference Championship, finishing with 763.5 points. The Shoremen finished with 594, easily out-pacing third-place Franklin & Marshall, which finished with 594.
The NCAA Division III Championships will be held March 18th-21st in Shenandoah, Texas. Selections will be announced Wednesday as Lee and Morgan will find out whether or not their provisional qualifying times were fast enough to make the field.
The Washington College women's swim team finished seventh of eight teams at the Centennial Conference Championships, hosted by Gettysburg College Friday, yesterday, and today.
Freshman Jennifer Clune (Bowie, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) had the Shorewomen's best finish, just missing a medal with her fourth-place time of 1:07.65 in the 100 breaststroke. Clune's time was a Washington College season best and made her the team's third-fastest swimmer ever in the event. She was also ninth in the 100 freestyle in a WC season-best 54.21 to become the Shorewomen's fourth-fastest swimmer ever in that event.
Sophomore Ellen Maxwell (Towson, Md./Loch Raven) finished in the top eight in three individual events. Her seventh-place WC season-best time of 18:09.67 in the 1650 freestyle bettered her own standing as the Shorewomen's sixth-fastest swimmer in that event. She also swam a 1000 freestyle split of 11:00.50 in the race, bettering her own standing as Washington's sixth-fastest 1000 freestyle swimmer ever. In the 500 freestyle, she finished eighth in 5:17.05 after swimming a WC season-best 5:14.38 in the preliminaries. She turned in another eighth-place finish in the 400 individual medley in 4:45.62 after bettering her own standing as the Shorewomen's fourth-fastest swimmer ever with a WC season-best 4:45.46 in the preliminaries. Leading off the 800 freestyle relay, Maxwell turned in a 1:59.11 lead-off leg to become Washington's eighth-fastest 200 freestyle swimmer ever. Leading off the 400 freestyle relay, Maxwell swam a 54.74 to become the Shorewomen's eighth-fastest swimmer ever in the 100 freestyle.
Freshman Joelle Williamson (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) broke the school record in the 100 backstroke with her ninth-place finish time of 1:00.38. She was 15th in the 200 backstroke in 2:17.35 after swimming a WC season-best 2:14.38 in the preliminaries.
Freshman Katie Gorman (Whippany, N.J./Whippany Park) was ninth in the 50 freestyle in a WC season-best 24.95, bettering her own standing as the team's fifth-fastest swimmer ever in the event. She was 12th in the 100 freestyle in 54.82 after swimming a 54.68 in the preliminaries to become the Shorewomen's seventh-fastest swimmer ever in that event. Her 17th-place WC season-best 1:01.04 in the 100 butterfly made her the Shorewomen's ninth-fastest swimmer ever in that event.
Freshman Tricia Liller (Alexandria, Va./Annandale) placed 11th in the 200 breaststroke in a WC season-best 2:34.01 and 13th in the 100 breaststroke in 1:11.46 after swimming a 1:10.25 in the preliminaries to become the Shorewomen's ninth-fastest swimmer ever in that event.
Sophomore Megan Obarowski (Holland, Pa./Council Rock South) was 12th in the 400 individual medley in 4:49.82, 13th in the 200 butterfly in a WC season-best 2:14.95 to become the Shorewomen's eighth-fastest swimmer ever in that event, and 15th in the 200 individual medley in 2:16.35 to become the Shorewomen's ninth-fastest swimmer ever in that event.
Freshman Mackenzie Gaze (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) placed 12th in the 200 freestyle in 1:58.61 after a WC season-best 1:58.51 made her the Shorewomen's seventh-fastest swimmer ever in the event in the preliminaries. She was also 14th in the 100 freestyle in 55.09 and placed 16th in the 500 freestyle in 5:25.60 after swimming a 5:18.22 in the preliminaries to become the Shorewomen's ninth-fastest swimmer ever in that event.
Junior Julianna Fritzinger (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion Area) placed 12th in the 200 breaststroke in 2:34.32 and 16th in the 400 individual medley in 4:59.31.
Freshman Allie Grillo (Mt. Airy, Md./The Learning Community) placed 14th in the 1650 freestyle in 18:49.13 and 15th in the 400 individual medley in 4:53.43. Senior Ashley Maurizi (Reamstown, Pa./Cocalico) took 16th in the 1650 freestyle in 18:57.17, while senior Alicia Howard (Wilmington, Del./Charter School of Wilmington) was 16th in the 100 backstroke in 1:04.31.
In the 400 freestyle relay, Maxwell, Clune, Gaze, and Gorman, were fifth in a WC season-best 3:36.27. In the 200 freestyle relay, Gorman, Williamson, Maxwell, and Gaze were sixth in a WC season-best 1:40.45. In the 800 freestyle relay, Maxwell, Gaze, Howard, and Clune were sixth in a WC season-best 8:00.27.
In the 400 medley relay, Williamson, Clune, Maxwell, and Gorman took sixth in a WC season-best 4:01.83. Williamson, Clune, Gorman, and Howard were seventh in the 200 medley relay in a WC season-best 1:52.51.
The Shorewomen finished with 289 points in the meet. Ursinus won its second straight Centennial Conference Championship with 667.5 points.
