Grove City Press Release
The Grove City College women's swimming and diving team secured its unprecedented ninth consecutive Presidents' Athletic Conference title Saturday night as the Wolverines concluded the three-day conference meet with 909 team points.
Grove City, which hosted the meet in James E. Longnecker Pool, finished the meet with a 137-point margin over runner-up Westminster (772 points). It is Grove City's largest margin of victory at the conference championships since 2013.
Head coach Dave Fritz earned the conference's Coach of the Year award after guiding the Wolverines to their eighth conference crown in his eight years as head coach.
Freshman Anne Shirley Dassow (Lookout Mountain, Tenn./Chattanooga Christian) earned the conference's Most Valuable Performer award after earning three individual wins and three relay victories.
After winning the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly Friday night, Dassow helped lead Grove City's effort Saturday night by winning the 200 butterfly in 2 minutes, 1.91 seconds. That time surpasses the NCAA provisional qualifying standard and is just .07 seconds off the Grove City, pool and conference record set by three-time national champion Peggy Whitbeck in 2003.
Freshman Brittany Byer (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) earned Grove City's other victory Saturday night when she captured the 200 backstroke in 2:08.59.
Freshman Kaylyn Froebel (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) took second in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:23.69, one spot ahead of sophomore Megan Crutcher (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg).
Senior Megan Smith (Tyler, Texas/Kolbe Academy) took third in the 1650 (18:08.25) while senior Abby Jank (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) finished third in the 100 free (53.92).
Junior Mary Robison (Williamsburg, Va./Homeschooled) touched third in the 200 butterfly (2:16.73) while senior Grace Klimek (Oakdale, Pa./South Fayette) placed third in 1-meter diving with a score of 459.20 points. That score qualifies Klimek for the NCAA regional championships.
Senior Kristi Riesmeyer (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) earned fourth in the 200 fly (2:17.86) while freshman Kimmi Wendelschaefer (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) took fourth in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:26.68.
Grove City's 400 free relay team of freshman Elizabeth Andrews (Newberg, Ore./Veritas), freshman Danielle Ledyard (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield), Jank and senior Molly Gallant (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) closed the meet by finishing fourth with a time of 3:39.67.
Freshman Leona Bently (Powell, Ohio/Homeschooled) placed fifth in the 1650 with a time of 18:21.22.
Grove City has now won 15 conference titles since 1991.
Several Grove City performers will compete at the Kenyon College Fast Chance Meet next Saturday in Gambier, Ohio.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Grove City College 909 2. Westminster College 772
3. Saint Vincent College 594 4. Washington & Jefferson College 437
5. Chatham University 340 6. Bethany College 137
The Grove City College men's swimming and diving team concluded the 2016-17 season Saturday night by posting a strong second-place finish at the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championships, hosted by the College in James E. Longnecker Pool.
Grove City finished the three-day event with 825.5 team points. Westminster won the conference title with 929.5 team points.
Two Grove City men earned wins Saturday night. Freshman Ben Slate (Pfafftown, N.C./Homeschooled) won the 200 breaststroke in a time of 2 minutes, 4.76 seconds, which surpasses the NCAA's provisional qualifying standard. Slate also set a Grove City record in the 200 breaststroke. Friday, he became Grove City's record-holder in the 100 breaststroke (57.23).
Senior Jeremy Kim (Frederick, Md./New Life Christian) won the 200 butterfly in a time of 1:54.02.
Sophomore Rhys Dickhudt (Troy, Mich./Bloomfield Christian) recorded a pair of third-place finishes for Grove City. He took third in the 100 free (46.92), then placed third in the 200 butterfly with a 1:56.65 clocking.
Dickhudt, senior Josiah Vehrs (Fresno, Calif./Homeschooled), sophomore Dane Hoselton (Naples, N.Y./Naples Central) and junior Brett Gwynn (Irwin, Pa./Hempfield) closed the meet by finishing third in the 400 free relay (3:08.01).
Vehrs earned fourth in the 100 free (47.58) while junior Samuel Archibald (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) led Grove City's diving squad with a fourth-place finish in 3-meter diving. Archibald accumulated 313.20 points.
Freshman Zachary Burns (Lebanon, Pa./New Covenant Christian) placed fifth on the 3-meter board with 307.05 points.
Gwynn earned fifth in the 100 free (47.70) while Hoselton placed fifth in the 200 backstroke (1:54.97). Freshman Ash Pietroboni (Oakdale, Pa./West Allegheny) opened the session by taking fifth in the 1650 with a time of 17:01.95.
A number of Grove City performers will compete at the Kenyon College Fast Chance Meet next Saturday in Gambier, Ohio.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Westminster College 929.5 2. Grove City College 825.5
3. Saint Vincent College 598.5 4. Washington & Jefferson College 446.5
5. Bethany College 188
Westminster Press Release
The Westminster College men posted their third-straight Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Swimming & Diving Championship Saturday evening.
The team title is Westminster’s eighth.
The conference championships were held at Grove City College’s James E. Longnecker Competition Pool. Longnecker Pool has been the home of the league’s swimming and diving championships since 1990.
Westminster led the five-team championship field with 929.50 points. Grove City finished as the runner-up with 825.50 points. Saint Vincent College was third (598.50), Washington & Jefferson College was fourth (446.50) and Bethany College was fifth (188).
Westminster junior Mitch Stahara (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park) claimed PAC Most Valuable Performer in Swimming honors. Saturday, he earned his second-straight PAC title in the 100 freestyle with a winning time of 45.77 seconds. Thursday, he swam on Westminster’s winning 200 freestyle (1:23.80) and 400 medley (3:23.71) relays while posting his second-straight league championship in the 500 freestyle (4:40.02). Friday, he won his third-straight PAC championship in the 200 freestyle with a NCAA Division III provisional qualifying time of one minute, 40.21 seconds and swam on the Titans’ winning 800 freestyle relay (6:52.71).
W&J sophomore Theo Skoric (Vanderbilt, Pa. / Laurel Highlands) was named the PAC’s Most Valuable Performer in Diving after winning the 11-dive, one meter event Thursday with a score of 460.95 points and the 11-dive, three-meter event Saturday with a score of 482.25 points. His efforts on both the one-meter and three-meter boards established new Longnecker Pool records and met the qualifying standard for the NCAA Division III Regional Championships.
Westminster first-year head coach Pat Smith collected PAC Swimming Coach of the Year honors. Smith had previously served as an assistant with the Titans for seven seasons.
PAC Diving Coach of the Year honors went to W&J's Vic Galati, now in his 10th year with the Presidents. He has combined to win 13 Diving Coach of the Year citations.
W&J was voted the recipient of the PAC’s Team Sportsmanship award.
Westminster freshman Aaron Dunlany (Boardman, Ohio / Boardman) won the 1650 freestyle with a time of 16 minutes, 29.70 seconds. Saint Vincent junior Alex Bolen (Pitcairn, Pa. / Gateway), last year’s event champion, was the runner-up (16:38.69).
Westminster sophomore David Peffer (Ellwood City, Pa. / Riverside) cruised to his second-straight conference title in the 200 backstroke, finishing with a Division III provisional qualifying time of one minute, 49.98 seconds. W&J senior Nicholas Willison (Rockford, Mich. / Rockford) was the runner-up (1:52.81).
Grove City freshman Ben Slate (Pfafftown, N.C. / Homeschooled) captured the 200 breaststroke with a Division III provisional qualifying time of two minutes, 4.76 seconds. Slate also won the 100 breaststroke (57.37) on Friday. Westminster freshman Thomas Somora (Grove City, Pa. / Grove City) was the runner-up (2:08.85).
Grove City senior Jeremy Kim (Frederick, Md. / New Life Christian) won his fourth-straight PAC title in the 200 butterfly with a time of one minute, 54.02 seconds. Westminster junior Brad Kolesar (West Mifflin, Pa. / West Mifflin) was the runner-up (1:55.38).
Saint Vincent closed the meet with a victory in the 400 freestyle relay (3:06.28). Members of the winning relay were sophomore Jacob Davis (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Brashear), senior Xander Emili (Anchorage, Alaska / South Anchorage), junior Matt Tashima (Visalia, Calif. / Mount Whitney) and Bolen.
