Westminster Press Release
ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Westminster College men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams swept the University of Mount Union in their last dual meet before the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Championships.
The women’s team (6-5) won 171-127 with nine first-place finishes, while the men’s team (7-3) won 154-146 with seven victories. The Titan men’s team handed the Purple Raiders’ men’s team their first loss of the season (10-1), while Mount Union’s women’s team fell to 7-4.
For the women’s team, sophomore Carolyn Novak (Pittsburgh, PA / Upper St. Clair) was part of two winning relays and won an individual event. Novak was the anchor in both the 200 medley (1:54.60) and the 200 freestyle (1:42.73) relays and touched first in the 50 freestyle (25.74). Completing the quartet for the 200 medley were first-year Alyssa Hampton (Anchorage, AK / AJ Dimond), first-year Abby Jones (Cabot, PA / Knoch), and first-year Nicole Stengel (Pittsburgh, PA / Carlynton), while junior Megan Douds (Bethel Park, PA / Bethel Park), senior Sarah Pace (Township, PA / Oakland Catholic), and senior Anne Tillie (Fallston, MD / Fallston) completed the 200 freestyle team. Douds also swept the butterfly (200/2:15.79, 100/1:00.57) events. Jones (200 IM/2:19.92) and Tillie (100 freestyle/56.92) also earned individual wins. First-year Kaitlyn Fast (Wooster, OH / Wooster) won both diving competitions (1-meter dive/138.00 and 1-meter dive/203.40).
For the men’s team, junior Mitch Stahara (Bethel Park, PA / Bethel Park) won the 200 freestyle (1:43.65), the 100 freestyle (47.71), the 500 freestyle (4:53.06), and was the anchor of the winning 200 freestyle relay (1:26.93). Freshman Matt Kwalick (Sewickley, PA / Quaker Valley), junior Daniel Bogen (Canfield, OH / Canfield), and sophomore Michael Spencer (Clearfield, PA / Clearfield) completed the foursome. Spencer also won the 50 freestyle (21.71), while sophomore David Peffer (Ellwood City, PA / Riverside) finished first in the 200 backstroke (1:56.58). Freshman Kameron Short (Ashburn, VA / Broad Run) won the 1-meter dive (182.45).
Westminster divers will next compete Saturday, February 4 at Clarion University with a 1 p.m. start time. The four-day PAC Championships are scheduled to start Wednesday, February 8.
