WPI Men
A number of records fell and B cut times were achieved as the WPI men’s swimming & diving team concluded day three of the 2016 NEWMAC Championships in second place. The Crimson and Gray (736.5 points) have their work cut out for them if they hope to unseat the host Engineers (1,025 points) as conference champions on Sunday.
Junior Andrew Bauer (Cumberland, RI) repeated as the 200 free champion and handed in a meet and program record of 1:38.92. Senior Nathan Hughes (Arlington, VA) was second (1:41.10) while senior Alex Powers (North Scituate, RI) was fourth (1:42.10) and sophomore Craig Barrett (Edinburgh, Scotland) was 13th (1:44.66). Also ascending to the top of the podium was sophomore David Smallwood (Bangor, ME) who won the 100 fly in a B cut time of 49.30. Freshman Jack Bauer (Cumberland, RI) was third in the event and also achieved the provisional status with a 49.45. He broke recent WPI Hall of Fame inductee Joel Rousseau’s record in the prelims with the top time of 49.05. Freshman Jackson Perry (Cumberland, RI) touched the wall ninth (50.88) as sophomore Karim Elsayed (Cairo, Egypt), sophomore Cam Back (St. Louis, MO) and junior Evan Pilaar (Mahwah, NJ) were 12th (51.59), 13th (52.24) and 19th (53.55), respectively.
In addition to setting the NEWMAC Championship and program record, Bauer, junior Andrew Kelleher (Poughquag, NY), Smallwood and Andrew Bauer’s 200 medley relay winning-time of 1:30.89 is a B cut and better than the 2015 NCAA Division III Championships invited time. The foursome of Junior Matt Houghton (Berkley, MA), junior Tim Petri (Eksjo, Sweden), junior Seth MacDonald (Sherrill, NY) and Perry, meanwhile, teamed up to turn in a 1:34.30. Jack Bauer, who set the 100 back record in Friday night’s 400 IM, finished third Saturday night with a B cut time of 50.62. Houghton was 11th (52.57), Perry was 12th (52.96) and Pilaar was 17th (55.38).
Petri broke his own 100 breast record and hit a B cut in the morning with a 56.62 while his 57.34 at night was good for sixth. Kelleher had the better time in the finals with a fourth-place, and B cut, time of 56.64. MacDonald, the reigning conference champion in the 400 IM, came in second this year with a B cut and program record time of 4:02.34. Freshman Alex Gallant (Lakeville, MA) also achieved a B cut with a seventh-place 4:07.02. The B final featured freshman Roberto Esquivel (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) in 14th (4:17.43), sophomore Sam Carley (Trumbull, CT) in 16th (4:19.61) and sophomore Trevor Gehring (Wildwood Crest, NJ) in 17th (4:20.43). Perry added a ninth-place finish in the 100 fly (50.88) as Elsayed was 12th (51.59), Back was 13th (52.24) and Pilaar was 19th (53.55).
On the 3-meter diving board, sophomore Randy Melanson (Attleboro, MA) placed sixth with 376.3 points followed by junior Matt Suarez (Needham, MA) in seventh (357.65) and sophomore Ryan Coran (Potomac, MD) in ninth (311.85).
The final day of action features the 1,650-yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard butterfly, and the 400-yard freestyle relay.
WPI Women
The WPI women’s swimming & diving 200-yard medley relay team finished third to conclude day three of the 2016 NEWMAC Championships Saturday at MIT. The hosts have accumulated 856 points while the Engineers from Boynton Hill are sixth with 348.5 points.
Junior Marissa Patterson (Hampton, NH), junior Zoe Eggleston (Newtown, CT), sophomore Allie Connor (Baldwinsville, NY) and junior Emily Martin (Penfield, NY) touched the wall third (1:47.80) in the evening 200 medley relay while Patterson, Eggleston, Martin and sophomore Jenny Day (Chelmsford, MA) were second (1:49.86) in the morning prelims. The early B relay featured junior Julia Bushell (Windham, NH), freshman Stephanie Marcucci (Dingmans Ferry, PA), Connor and sophomore Thea Reymann (Toms River, NJ) who turned in a 1:52.67 as the primetime roster of Bushell, sophomore Allysa Grant (Framingham, MA), Day and Reymann clocked a 1:51.86.
Sophomore Emily Matsco (Windham, NH) led the Engineer contingent in the 200 free with an eighth-place 1:56.80 while junior Eva Childers (Henniker, NH) was 10th (1:59.26) and Reymann was 12th (1:57.40). Eggleston took ninth (1:07.94) in the 100 breast as Grant won the B final (11th) in a time of 1:08.55 and Marcucci followed in 19th (1:10.37). Marissa Patterson rounded out the A finalists with a 10th-place 1:00.85 in the 100 back. Worth noting, Patterson set the 100 back record Friday night with a 59.60 in the 400 medley relay. Bushell turned in an 18th-place time of 1:02.23 during Saturday night’s 100 back consolation final.
Sophomore Kailin Travers (Northampton, MA) paced the Engineers in the 400 IM with a 14th-place 4:46.84 as sophomore Jamie Freud (Amherst, NH) came home 19th (4:50.32). Freshman Caroline Flynn (Norwell. MA) was an alternate with a 22nd-place 5:00.00 in the morning session. The 100 fly B final saw Martin clock a 1:00.11 and Patterson post a 1:00.21 to end the night 15th and 17th while senior Amanda Konieczny (West Springfield, MA) was the first alternate with a time of 1:01.55.
