On Saturday, January 21, the men’s and women’s swimming teams traveled to Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, PA to compete in a quad meet against the Stevenson University, York College of Pennsylvania, and Messiah University teams. The Ducks proved to be top contenders, as both teams won multiple matches throughout the meet. The men’s team finished with a 3-0 record and the women’s team finished with a 2-1 record, falling only to Messiah.
The men’s team finished with four first-place finishes. Sophomore Liam Rodgers won the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:25.88, a race that moved him into sixth place on the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) leaderboard for this event. Sophomore Edward Platonov won the 200-yard butterfly, and graduate student Ali Kolenovic won the 200-yard backstroke. Additionally, first-year William Stibor, sophomore Cade Cermak, Kolenovic, and Platonov made up the 400-yard freestyle relay team that took first place.
In addition to these impressive first-place performances, the Ducks also secured four second-place finishes. First-years Leo Timmermann and Lukas Mikulenas, sophomore Jack Martinek, and Stibor made up the second-place team in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:39.39. In the 100-yard freestyle, Stibor took second place with 49.15 seconds, and Cermak finished in third with 49.15 seconds. Sophomore Ryan Ward and Platonov finished with times of 4:59.48 and 4:59.93 respectively, winning second and third in the 500-yard freestyle. Finally, Mikulenas took second with a time of 2:15.82 in the 200-yard breaststroke while junior Phong Tran followed close behind in third with a time of 2:19.02.
The women’s team also had their share of victories at the meet. Sophomore Sophie Patz took first in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:56.31, securing her second place ranking on the MAC leaderboard. First-year Natalia Brunetti won the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:16.50, and this time moved her into a third place ranking in the conference. In the 200-yard backstroke, Sophomore Kai Wong finished in a time of 2:15.49, to secure a first place finish.
The Ducks also put up three second-place finishes in addition to their wins. In the 200-yard backstroke, sophomore Melissa Misurelli finished with a time of 2:17.27, just behind Wong. First-year Gabrielle Sokolik finished second in the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 26.46 seconds. The 200-yard medley relay team, consisting of Wong, first-year Adriana Bertolotti, Brunetti, and Sokolik finished at a time of 1:53.72, only 0.27 seconds behind first place.
After such a successful day of swimming, head coach Adam Schneider commented on the men’s team, noting that they “faced some really great talent and [he] was extremely happy how they responded to being down early.” For the women’s team, he mentioned that “the women swam fantastic, with great swims from Sophie Patz, Melissa Misurelli, and Kai Wong narrowing the gap between us and Messiah, while also building a lead over York.”
Both teams will have their next swim meets on February 9 to open the MAC Championships in York, PA.
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