For four long, grueling days from February 13 to 16 in York, PA, both the men’s and women’s swimming teams competed in the MAC Championship conference meet. With titles to defend and new ones to conquer, both the women’s and men’s teams had something to prove. And with little time left in both of their seasons, they had to prove themselves fast.
The women’s team was performing strong right from the first day, taking second place overall. This strong start was in no small part due to junior Isabelle Rivera’s win in the 50-yard freestyle, which boosted Stevens up through the rankings. Senior Isabella Fairman had a very productive day as well, breaking the MAC 500-yard freestyle record (which she also held prior to the meet). Both Rivera and Fairman earned First Team All-MAC.
After the first day, it was all smooth sailing for the women’s team from there on, with the Ducks placing first every single day from the second day on. The Ducks took gold in the 200-freestyle on day two, giving them the lead that they needed to keep them in the lead. The Ducks did not appear to get tired of winning on the third day, bringing home the gold in the 800-yard freestyle.
With less and less space left in their trophy case going into day four, Stevens continued to dominate. The championship title was so close to them, so the Ducks knew that they could not slow down on the last day. Keeping up their energy, Stevens won three out of the five events on the last day. These wins gave them their first MAC Championship and first conference title since the 2012-13 season. Fairman, who won a grand total of six golds, was named the MAC Swimmer of the Year.
The men’s team did not disappoint either. After a first-place win on day one, Stevens never stepped down from the throne for the rest of the meet. Junior Kurt von Autenried catapulted Stevens to first place on day one with a win in both the 50-yard freestyle and the 200-yard medley relay. The Ducks did not lose their energy going into day two, and after their wins in both the 200-yard freestyle and 400-yard medley, Stevens solidified their first-place lead.
With the meet halfway over, the Ducks knew that they had to keep their strong performances if they wanted a shot at the title. Thankfully, Stevens did not disappoint in days three and four. With a gold in both the 100-yard breaststroke and 800-yard freestyle by senior Tyler Zanki on day three, the Ducks were all but confirmed to win the title. When day four finally rolled around, the Ducks were poised to grab the title. After winning the 400-yard freestyle relay, this became a reality. With this title, the Ducks have won the conference title eight seasons in a row.
In the end, the women’s team finished with 1178.5 points and 16 medals, while the men’s team finished with a MAC Championship record of 1519.5 points, and 18 medals. Be sure to catch the men’s NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships from March 18 to 21.
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