LEWISBURG, Pa. –– The depth of the Navy and swimming and diving teams carried the respective squads to a successful Thursday at the Patriot League Championship held at Kinney Natatorium on the Bucknell campus in Lewisburg, Pa.
 
The Navy women's team has scored 334 points and leads second-place Boston U. by 153 points.  The Navy men's team has totaled 365 points and leads second-place Army by 93 points.
 
Both Navy teams entered the evening session having qualified more swimmers for championship finals than any other school had qualified swimmers for the championship and consolation finals combined.
 
The Mids would go on to win five of the nine finals contested Thursday night.  Martina Thomas and Ryan Waters claimed the 500 freestyle titles, Lauren Barber won the 200 individual medley, Hannah Montau won the one-meter diving final and Navy won the women's 400 medley relay event.  Navy also placed second in four of the nine events.
 
"We were very pleased with the morning," said Navy women's swimming head coach John Morrison.  "They raced well and did a nice job of supporting one another.  Our goal is to keep learning and getting better in each session.  Tonight, we turned in a solid performance with winning three of the four swimming events as well as the one diving event.  We are looking forward to a big third day."
 
"We had a terrific session this morning," said Navy men's swimming head coach Bill Roberts.  "The guys did a great job of racing and positioning themselves real well.  Tonight, we had some highlights and some swims we think we could have been a bit stronger in.  Not from lack of effort, but technically we had some better swims in us.  Overall, we are pleased with the day, pleased with how the team is working together as one and excited to see what we can do the next two days."
 
"Our women's divers picked up where our men left off last night," said Navy diving coach Rich MacDonald.  "I knew our women's team were competitors, but they took it to a new level this evening.  It was pretty incredible and very special to see a young team come in and perform the way they did tonight.  The support they received from their teammates and coaches was a big factor in their success.  They trained hard all year and it doesn't always end up like this.  Hopefully we can carry this momentum from the first two days through the last two days."
 
500 Freestyle – Women
1^st - Martina Thomas / 4:45.67; 3^rd – Erin Scudder / 4:51.26; 5^th - Stephanie Downing / 4:53.48
Erin Scudder (first), Martina Thomas (second) and Stephanie Downing (fourth) accounted for three of the top-four swimmers in the morning trial heats. 
 
Thomas would post a time of 4:45.67 to win the title by 3.5 seconds over Bucknell's Maddi Hartigan.  Scudder would take third place with a time of 4:51.26, and Downing placed fifth with her effort of 4:53.48.
 
500 Freestyle – Men
1^st - Ryan Waters / 4:18.59; 2^nd - Luke Johnson / 4:20.68; 5^th - Billy Cadigan / 4:24.19; 7^th - Jack Dunworth / 4:26.40
Half of the eight-swimmer championship final were Mids, with Ryan Waters narrowly posting the top time in the morning session by less than six-tenths of a second over Army's Tom Ottman.  Luke Johnson followed in third place just two-tenths of a second in back of Ottman.
 
Waters made his seed hold up as he dropped 3.5 seconds from his morning time to win the race with an effort of 4:18.59.  Johnson moved up one spot from the morning with a time of 4:20.68 to finish in second place.  Rounding out the quartet of Navy's championship finalists were Billy Cadigan in fifth place (4:24.19) and Jack Dunworth in seventh (4:26.40).
 
200 Individual Medley – Women
1^st - Lauren Barber / 1:56.23; 4^th - Ashley Boddiford / 2:03.18; T6th - Kelly Huffer / 2:03.60; T6th – Jamie Miller / 2:03.60
Lauren Barber posted the fastest time in the trial heats by nearly five seconds (1:58.61).  She led four Mids who qualified for the championship final and three more who competed in the consolation final.
 
Barber would lower her preliminary heat time down another two-plus seconds to win the final by 4.99 seconds.  She broke the pool record with her time of 1:56.23.  Teammate Ashley Boddiford placed fourth with a time of 2:03.18, and the tandem of Kelly Huffer and Jamie Miller each recorded a time of 2:03.60 to tie for sixth place.
 
200 Individual Medley – Men
2^nd - Brayden Lauffer / 1:47.05; 4^th - Ethan Tack / 1:50.01; 5^th - Michael Velazquez / 1:50.18; 6^th - Dean Nguyen / 1:50.33; 7^th – Micah Oh / 1:50.89
The Mids qualified five for the championship final of the 200 IM, but Army's Brian McKenrick recorded the fastest time in the morning by one second over Navy's Brayden Lauffer, with Michael Velazquez in third place another three-tenths of a second in back of Lauffer.
 
Lauffer improved upon his morning time by 1.2 seconds, but McKenrick dropped his time, as well, to a 1:45.67 and touch the wall first by 1.4 seconds over Lauffer.  Mids then finished in fourth through seventh place.  In order were Ethan Tack (1:50.01), Michael Velazquez (1:50.18), Dean Nguyen (1:50.33) and Micah Oh (1:50.89).
 
50 Freestyle – Women
3rd - Sarah Sorensen / 23.08; 5^th - Brooke West / 23.46; 8^th - Ali Kozlina / 23.75
Only 15-hundredths of a second separated the top three finishers in the 50 freestyle final.  Lehigh's Ann Foley won the race in a time of 22.94, Loyola's Megan Dickey placed second with a clocking of 23:02 and Navy's Sarah Sorensen finished in third place with a time of 23.08.  Navy also saw Brooke West finish fifth (23.46) and Ali Kozlona place eighth (23.75).
 
50 Freestyle – Men
3^rd – Zach Piedt / 20.25; 4^th - Vince Everman / 20.26; 7^th - Daniel Cook / 20.39
The first split final of the night took place in the 50 freestyle as both Army and Navy sent three swimmers to the championship level race.  Army's Josh Zock won the race in a time of 19.82, which was just seven-tenths of a second ahead of the eighth-place finisher.  Bucknell's Charlie McFarland broke up the Army-Navy dual with a second-place time of 20.10.  Navy's Zach Piedt recorded a time of 20.25 to place third, one one-hundredth of a second ahead of teammate Vince Everman.  Daniel Cook would post a time of 20.29 to finish in seventh place.
 
1-M Diving – Women
1^st - Hannah Montau / 291.70; 2^nd - Meghan Gerdes / 267.60; 5^th - Caroline Turner / 242.85
Only eight points separated the top three divers in the afternoon trial heats.  Navy's Hannah Montau posted the top score, Army's Serica Hallsted was second and Lehigh's Megan Fennell was third. 
 
Montau would score 291.70 points to win the title by 24 points over teammate Meghan Gerdes (267.60), who had placed fourth in the trial rounds.  Finishing in fifth place for the Mids was Caroline Turner with 242.85 points.
 
400 Medley Relay – Women
1^st – Navy / 3:35.69 (new school, league and meet record / 3:38.95; new pool record / 3:39.23)
Based upon top times recorded this season, Army entered the final as a two-tenths of a second favorite over Navy.  Today, however, the Mids would post a time of 3:35.69 to win the final by nearly five seconds and, in the process, break the school, league and meet record of 3:38.95 Navy set last season.
 
Jamie Miller gave the Mids a nine-hundredth of a second lead after the backstroke leg of the race.  She ceded the pool to Barber, who stretched the advantage out to 1.5 seconds with her effort in the breaststroke.  Delaney Walz followed with the butterfly portion and climbed out of the pool nearly four seconds in front of the field.  That left Thomas to cruise to the wall for the victory.
 
400 Medley Relay – Men
2^nd – Navy / 3:13.29
The men's 400 medley relay had Navy with the top time over Army during the regular season, but the final ended with the Black Knights touching the wall first in front of the Mids.   Army posted an overall time of 3:12.89 to edge Navy's collective effort of 3:13.29.  Army had slight advantages in each of the first three strokes to build a lead Navy anchor swimmer Everman could not overcome.
 
Competition continues at the championship Friday and Saturday.
 
Women's Team Scores
334 – Navy
181 – Boston U.
174 – Bucknell
164 – Lehigh
158 – Army
91 – Loyola
86 – Holy Cross
77 – Colgate
70 – American
50 - Lafayette
 
Men's Team Scores
365 – Navy
272 – Army
159 – Bucknell
138 – Lehigh
137 – Boston U.
109 – Loyola
78 – American
66 – Lafayette
50 – Colgate
50 – Holy Cross