Wagner women and NJIT men won the ECAC title this weekend.
Wagner Press Release
East Meadow, NY – The Wagner women's swimming and diving team won the ECAC title in their final meet of the 2016 calendar year, powered by multiple gold medals from senior Anu Nihipali (Honolulu, HI / Hawaii Preparatory Academy) and junior diver Sam Lavrich (Audubon, PA / Methacton).
Wagner posted a three-day total of 1,096 points in the women's competition, finishing ahead of LIU Post in second place (992.50) and Sacred Heart University in third (962). Head coach Colin Shannahan was voted the Women's Swimming Coach of the Meet, while head diving coach Samantha Russo earning Women's Diving Coach of Meet.
"Finishing the year with a championship is always great and gives us reason to be optimistic for the rest of the year," Shannahan said. "Sweeping the diving events and setting meet records shows that we are capable of top performances on a weekly basis."
Nihipali won the 200 Backstroke with a new meet record of 2:02.01, beating out the previous mark of 2:02.86 by Paris Wood of American University. The tri-captain also anchored the Seahawks' record-setting 200 Free Relay, alongside freshmen Kelsey Eastman (Effort, PA / Pleasant Valley), Kirsty Hessing (Bloomington, IL / Normal Community), and sophomore Andrea Gustafsson (Malmo, Sweden / ProCivitas Privata Gymnasium), that also set a new meet record for the event with a time of 1:34.49, beating the old mark set by Stevens Institute of Technology (1:35.77, 2010). Nihipali then went on to earn the top spot in the 100 Back (55.50).
Lavrich, the Seahawks' diving captain, swept both diving events on her way to Women's Diver of the Meet honors. The junior tri-captain won the 1-meter competition this weekend, totaling 228.95 to finish ahead of the Pace duo of Alexis Heiney (213.90) and Andrea Cattani (211.60).
In the 3-meter contest, Lavrich compiled 238.25 points for her second win of the weekend. Teammates Grace Solipaca (Philadelphia, PA / Bishop Eustace, 197.95) and Daniele Polatnick (Huntingdon Valley, PA / Lower Moreland, 159.05) finished fourth and sixth, respectively, giving Wagner 82 points in the event and 139 points from the meet's two diving events.
"It's great to close out the year 2016 on a high note like this," diving coach Samantha Russo said after the event. "Seeing a semester of work pay off with two gold medals will give us great motivation for the second half of the season."
Gustafsson also contributed with top performances in the individual races. The sophomore won the 100 Fly in 56.70 seconds and touched the wall second in the 100 Free (51.23). The Seahawks' third team captain, junior Maddie McNichol (Downingtown, PA / Henderson), was victorious in the 200 IM, touching the wall in 2:08.99, ahead of freshman Emily Moore (Temecula, CA / Great Oak, 2:09.79), who finished third in the event.
Wagner's 400 Free Relay also garnered a gold medal, as McNichol, Hessing, Gustafsson, and Eastman combined for a 3:30.62 finish. The Green and White's 400 Medley Relay, featuring Nihipali, Gustafsson, freshman Erin Finn (Middletown, NJ / Middletown North), and Hessing, picked up a second-place finish on the day, finishing in 3:52.42.
Hessing and classmate Kaitlyn Mulcahy (Helmetta, NJ / Spotswood) finished second (5:08.31) and third (5:09.30), respectively, in the 500 Free.
The Seahawks will be back in action on January 14, 2017, for their first meet of the new calendar year, as they travel to the University of Rhode Island.
NJIT Press Release
EAST MEADOW, NY – The NJIT men's swimming and diving team captured its second consecutive ECAC Winter Championship title on Sunday.
The Highlanders scored a total of 1,323 points -- 300 points more than second place Pace with 987.
NJIT head coach Michael Lawson was named Coach of the Meet, for the second straight season, leading the Highlanders to back-to-back championships.
Junior Scott Quirie was named Swimmer of the Meet, his second consecutive honor, notching first place finishes is all four individual events he swam over the weekend, including a bronze in the 400 medley relay. On the final day, Quirie grabbed another win in the 200 IM coming in at 1:55.03.
Scott Quirie grabbed first in the 200 back finishing in 1:52.99, the 100 back swimming in 51.61 just missing breaking his own NJIT record of 51.44, and the 400 IM with a time of 4:07.23.
In the 100 free the Highlanders finished one, two with Matheus Monteiro Montarroyos coming in at 46.54 and Edward Parks at 47.14. Junior Montarroyos swam the 200 free in a season-best 1:42.32 good for another first place finish.
Sophomore Parks also picked up first in the 200 fly swimming in 1:53.54, and second in the 100 fly with a time of 50.76.
The Highlanders picked up first in the 800 free relay with great legs by Haydn Pak, Parks, Michael Sungurov and Montarroyos finishing in 6:58.32 and placed third in the 200 free relay against with Montarroyos and Sungurov, and Tyler Pollock and Jack Matusiak.
On Friday Matheus Monteiro Montarroyos placed third with a time of 16:25.97 in 1650 free.
In the 400 free relay, Haydn Pak, Jack Matusiak, Edward Parks and Matheus Monteiro Montarroyos swam in 3:08.54 good for first place.
NJIT swimmers Quirie, Justin Sherrill, Parks and Pak swam the 400 medley relay in 3:32.47 good for third place.
Junior Montarroyos grabbed second in the 500 free with a season-best time of 4:40.66.
Avery Bechtel took third in the 3-meter dive and fourth in the 1-meter dive.
The Highlanders take a break until the New Year when they head to Boca Raton, FL during their winter training session for a dual meet against Florida Atlantic and Old Dominion on January 2.
