Loyola University Maryland’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams officially kicked off their 2016-2017 seasons on Friday with wins over Patriot League-foe American University at the Mangione Fitness and Aquatics Center.
The Greyhounds men defeated the Eagles, 164-109, while the women were 198-87 winners.
“It was great to see so many strong swims from both our men and women freshmen class,” said Head Coach Brian Loeffler. “We open up with three-straight League meets that will give us a good sense of where our training is. I am excited to get back to a good week of training and prepare for Colgate (next weekend).”
Highlighting the evening for the Greyhounds, Ben Cono swam an NCAA ‘B’ Standard Qualifying time of 54.88 in a 100-yard breaststroke time trial, the nation’s second-fastest time as of Friday night. Freshmen Alex Muson was a three-event winner individually for the men, and Megan Adlem took first in a pair of events for the women, as well. Junior Alec Sperandio and freshman Annie Hayburn were two-time winners, as well, for the Greyhounds.
Divers Sam Baluzy and Lindsey Staszewski both won the 1- and 3-meter events.
Adlem and her 200-yard medley relay teammates – Courtney Kenyon, Hayburn and Aly Pacitti – opened the meet with a victory in the opening event, clocking a time of 1:48.66, to top American’s best team by more than a second.
Munson and the men’s version of the relay, a group that included Cono, Zeke Wolfgang and Sperandio, were big winners in their race, touching the wall in 1:34.56, more than five seconds ahead of American’s second-place team.
Elizabeth Romano and Emily O’Halloran, a pair of Loyola freshmen, went one-two in the women’s 1,000-yard freestyle, finishing in 10:52.69 and 10:59.31, respectively.
American’s Garrett Sooter claimed a win in the men’s 1,000-yard freestyle, but Loyola freshman Zac Metzler led a quartet of Greyhounds that finished second through fifth.
Pacitti delivered a victory for the Loyola won in the 200-yard freestyle, edging American’s Victoria Haviland by one-hundredth of a second while touching the wall in 1:57.85.
Chris Cary and Alexander Chan then took the top two spots in the men’s 200-yard freestyle in 1:48.02 and 1:50.69, respectively.
Munson and Wolfgang were first (52.41) and second (52.64), respectively, in the men’s 100-yard backstroke, while Hayburn placed second in the women’s 100-yard backstroke (59.62).
Kenyon won the women’s 100-yard breaststroke in 1:07.53, out-touching teammate Devin Cronin, 1:07.89 for first place. Cono was the top finisher in the men’s 100-yard breaststroke, while fellow Greyhound Jay Venit was second (1:01.75).
Cono’s faster time, however, came in a solo time trial at the end of the night. His time of 54.88 was more than a half-second under the ‘B’ standard qualifying mark of 55.39.
Adlem registered her first individual victory in the 200-yard butterfly, finishing the race in 2:09.27, just ahead of Martin’s time of 2:10.71. Metzler was second in the men’s race, clocking a time of 2:00.19.
Gabrielle Clarkson led Loyola in the women’s 50-yard freestyle, winning in 25.06, while Sperandio paced four Greyhounds who went one through four on the men’s side. He reached the wall in 21.80, beating Chan (22.55), Phillip Jones (22.62) and Zack Compton (22.64) who rounded out the top-four.
Staszewski scored 233.77 points to win the women’s 3-meter diving competition, while Baluzy tallied 219.52 to claim first in the men’s 1-meter event.
Back in the pool, Clarkson slipped by Pacitti in the 100-yard freestyle, 54.78 to 54.83, and the pair was just ahead of their teammate, Alden Coyne (55.01).
Sperandio was another double-winner for the men, pacing the competition in the men’s 100-yard freestyle in 47.90.
Hayburn won her first collegiate race, the 200-yard backstroke in 2:08.10, and Munson was the top finisher in the discipline on the men’s side, clocking a time of 1:53.05.
Cronin was tops among five Loyola swimmers in the women’s 200-yard breaststroke, winning with a time of 2:27.84, ahead of Theresa McKallen in second (2:28.20).
Cono also brought home top honors in the men’s 200-yard breaststroke (2:15.93), ahead of Luca Dicapua’s time of 2:18.86.
Adlem was the victor in the women’s 500-yard freestyle (5:13.70, while John Sakovich finished second in the men’s race to Sooter with a time of 4:55.59, just a second off the winning mark.
Hayburn claimed top honors in the women’s 100-yard butterfly (58.28), outpacing Martin who was second in 1:00.40. Wolfgang was the men’s top finisher at that distance, taking second in 53.37.
Staszewski was also a winner in the 1-meter diving event with 224.76 points, beating teammate Maggie Garrahan who was second with 219.59. Baluzy captured first in the men’s 3-meter event with 196.13 points.
Emily Koegl won the women’s 200-yard individual medley in 2:14.61, while Munson, Chris Cary and Cono went one-two-three in the men’s race.
The women’s relay of Pacitti, Adlem, Clarkson and Coyne won the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:40.63, while the men’s entry of Metzler, Compton, Jones and Sperandio was also victorious in 1:30.20.
Loyola returns to the water at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8, for its annual alumni meet, and the Greyhounds are back in intercollegiate competition on Saturday, Oct. 15, for a 1 o’clock dual meet against Colgate University.
