ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– The Navy swimming and diving teams swept the titles at the ECAC Championship that came to a conclusion Sunday in Annapolis. The women's team scored 638 points to win the meet by 183 points and the men's team tallied 670 points to outdistance the field by 261 points.
The Navy men's team has now won the ECAC Championship seven years in a row and the Navy women's team has won the crown in each of the last four years.
"Our hats go off to the Midshipmen this weekend," said Navy men's swimming head coach
Bill Roberts, who was selected as the men's swimming coach of the meet. "The men and women competed and raced very well from beginning to end. We are all very proud of the way they prepared over the past year to pursue excellence."
"This was another great weekend for Navy swimming and diving," said Navy women's swimming head coach
John Morrison, who was named the women's swimming coach of the meet. "We are really proud of the team to step up and win a second conference championship in as many weeks. It speaks volumes to the depth and commitment of our student-athletes. Our seniors who competed this weekend did an outstanding job of leading the team during the meet."
Friday Recap
200 Freestyle Relay
Navy swept the two events. In the women's race,
Lindsay Tanner (Jr., Silver Spring, Md.),
Madison Floyd (Jr., Oviedo, Fla.),
Sara Vianco (So., Albuquerque, N.M.) and
Dominique Quintero (Sr., Clayton, N.C.) posted a time of 1:34.29 to edge second-place Penn by 17-hundredths of a second.
The Navy men had a little bit more breathing room as its foursome of
Ben Selnick (Fr., Ellicott City, Md.),
Callen Aulizia (So., Warren, Ohio),
Warren Turner (Fr., Memphis, Tenn.) and
Brendan Sullivan (So., Berwick, Maine) combined for a clocking of 1:20.38 to win the race by 1.25 seconds.
500 Freestyle
Cagla Brennan (Jr., Waipahu, Hawaii) was Navy's top finisher in the women's race as she recorded a time of 4:58.88 to place third.
Alicia Mancilla (So., Miami, Fla.) joined her in the championship final with her sixth-place effort of 5:01.16.
Noah Vial (So., Corvallis, Ore.) won the final for the Navy men's team with his time of 4:27.69. He had a margin of victory of well over two seconds.
Zack O'Haver (So., Puyallup, Wash.) also reached the championship final for the Mids. He posted a time of 4:36.16 to finish in seventh place.
200 Individual Medley
It was another third-place finish for the Navy women's team in this final as
McKenna Resconich (Sr., Brighton, Mich.) took the bronze with a time of 2:04.26. Finishing right behind her in fourth place was teammate
Isabella Penkwitz (Jr., Sarasota, Fla.) with a time of 2:05.01.
Jackson Schultz (Fr., Millersville, Md.) gave the Navy men's team its third victory in as many events as he touched the wall in a winning time of 1:48.07. Teammate
Dan Cashell (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) placed seventh with an effort of 1:51.61.
50 Freestyle
Tanner and Floyd advanced to the main final for the Navy women's team. Tanner placed third with a time of 23.56 and Floyd tied for fifth place with an effort of 23.62.
Aulizia took the silver medal for the Navy men's team as his time of 20.10 was an NCAA B cut effort and placed him one-quarter of a second behind the winning time. Also reaching the championship final was Sullivan. He placed sixth with his time of 20.68.
400 Medley Relay
After winning the opening relay event in a race that came down to the wire, the Navy women's team won the second relay event of the day by well over four seconds.
Peyton Johnson (Fr., Iron Mountain, Mich.), Resconich, Floyd and Tanner combined for a winning time of 3:45.11.
The Navy men's team of Turner,
Patrick Lacore (So., Norfolk, Va.), Hugh Robey and Aulizia placed third with its effort of 3:18.24.
Top of the Standings After Friday
Women: 217.50 – Navy; 141 – Penn; 112 – Marist
Men: 194 – Navy; 127 – Yale; 123 – Columbia
Saturday Recap
200 Medley Relay
The Navy women's team earned its third relay win of the meet by claiming the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:44.03. The team of
Ally Michaels (Jr., Yorkville, Ill.), Resconich, Floyd and Tanner won the race by nearly seven-tenths of a second.
The Navy men's squad also began the second day of the meet on a high note as its team of Turner, Lacore, Robey and Aulizia won the race by eight-tenths of a second with its time of 1:28.95.
400 Individual Medley
Ana Lesho (Fr., Ellicott City, Md.) was the top finisher for the Navy women's team as she placed second in the consolation final with a time of 4:30.71.
Navy placed first and third in the men's final. Schultz recorded a meet-record and NCAA B cut time of 3:52.19 to win the race and
Jac Cortright (Sr., Richmond, Va.) finished in third place with a time of 3:58.19.
100 Butterfly
It was another bronze medal for the women's team as Floyd finished third in a race that saw the top-five finishers touch the wall within one second of the winner. Floyd's third-place time was 55.70. Also reaching the final was Michaels, who placed eighth in a time of 56.87.
Robey and Turner each advanced to the championship final for the men's team. Robey placed third in a time of 48.82 and Turner finished in eighth place with a showing of 49.63.
200 Freestyle
Vianco was the lone Navy women's swimmer to qualify for the championship final. She would place third in the event with a time of 1:50.48 that was just 17-hundredths of a second behind the event winner.
Vial had another strong finish in the men's edition of the race as he placed third with a clocking of 1:39.53. O'Haver also qualified for the final, and he finished in sixth pace with a time of 1:40.53.
100 Breaststroke
The women's team placed two Mids into the championship final.
Libby Miller (Fr., Gates Mills, Ohio) posted a time of 1:03.85 to finish in fourth place and Resconich placed eighth with her time of 1:04.75.
The Navy men's team dominated the 100 breaststroke as Mids claimed the top-three positions on the podium, each with NCAA B cut times. Cashell won the race in a time of 54.76, Lacore finished second with a time of 54.95 and
James Lee (Fr., La Canada, Calif.) placed third with an effort of 55.09.
100 Backstroke
The Navy women's team had two of its swimmers in the championship final for the third time during the session. Johnson placed second with her time of 55.30 and Michaels finished in eighth place with her clocking of 58.32.
Turner was the lone member of the men's team to reach the championship final. He touched the wall in a time of 49.82 to take third place.
800 Freestyle Relay
The women's version of the race was a very close one that ended with Yale edging Navy by 1.8 seconds. Comprising the Navy team were
Laura Spratling (Jr., Dunwoody, Ga.), Brennan,
LeGrand Pound (So., Kailua, Hawaii) and Vianco. The four Mids posted a time of 7:30.30.
The men's race saw the Mids finish in third place with a time of 6:38.56. The entry featured Cashell, O'Haver, Vial and
Andy MacGregor (Sr., Grand Rapids, Mich.).
Top of the Standings After Friday
Women: 420.50 – Navy; 302 - Bucknell; 296 - Penn
Men: 454 – Navy; 286 – Columbia; 283 – Marist
Sunday Recap
1650 Freestyle
Timed finals were used for the 1650 freestyle events.
Three of the top-eight finishers in the women's race were from Navy. Mancilla placed third (17:08.65),
Erin McCullagh placed seventh (17:26.27) and Isabel Marsala finished in eighth place (17:32.27).
Vial was the highest-placing Mid in the men's race as he placed sixth (15:57.43) and Cortright placed eighth (16:05.16).
200 Backstroke
Two more Mids reached the championship final of the 200 backstroke. Michaels finished in fourth place for Navy in a time of 2:01.65 and Johnson touched the wall in sixth place with her effort of 2:03.49.
The Navy men's team did not have a swimmer in either final of the 200 backstroke.
100 Freestyle
The first through seventh finishers in the women's 100 free final were within seventh-tenths of a second of one another. Tanner tied for fifth place in a time of 51.41 and Vianco placed seventh with her time of 51.51.
Aulizia was the only Mid to reach the final of the men's 100 free. He recorded a time of 45.09 to finish in fifth place.
100 Breaststroke
Four Mids advanced to the final of the women's 100 breaststroke event. Miller was the top finisher of the Navy contingent as her time of 2:15.82 –– which was an NCAA B cut time –– placed her second. Resconich finished in sixth place in a time of 2:20.63, Penkwitz followed in seventh place with her time of 2:21.24 and
Jessica Riggs (Fr., Tehachapi, Calif.) placed eight with a clocking of 2:23.06.
Not to be outdone, six of the eight championship finalists in the men's 100 breaststroke were from Navy. Winning the race was Lee in a time of 1:58.76, Lacore placed second with an effort of 1:59.05 and Cashell placed fourth with his time of 1:59.67. Each of those clockings were NCAA B cut qualifying times. Additionally, Schultz placed fifth (2:00.01),
Joaquin Gabriel (Sr., Aldie, Va.) finished in sixth place (2:00.40) and
Patrick Merse (Fr., Florence, Ky.) placed seventh (2:01.54).
200 Butterfly
Mancilla was the lone Navy women's swimmer to reach the final of the last individual event of the championship. She recorded a time of 2:04.81 to finish in sixth place.
It was a 1-2 Navy finish in the men's 200 fly. Robey won the race in a time of 1:46.76 and Selnick placed second with a clocking of 1:47.15. Both times were under the NCAA B cut standard.
400 Freestyle Relay
The Navy women's team closed out the championship by placing third in the 400 free relay. Vianco, Spratling, Resconich and Quintero recorded a time of 3:26.84 to finish one-half of a second in back of the event winner.
The Navy men's 400 free relay team of Aulizia, Sullivan, Turner and MacGregor posted a time of 3:00.52 to finish second in the event.
Final Top-10 Team Standings
Women (22 teams scored at least one point)
638 – Navy; 455 – Bucknell; 432.50 – Penn; 325 – Marist; 225 – Yale; 191 – Columbia; 164 – UMBC; 161 – Connecticut; 151.50 – Richmond; 148 – St. Francis
Men (21 teams scored at least one point)
670 – Navy; 409 – Columbia; 405 – Marist; 302 – Yale; 246 – Bucknell; 201 – Rider; 199.50 – UMBC; 182.50 – Army; 175 – Loyola; 175 - Catawba
