2016 A-10 Swimming Championships: Day 3 Finals Recap

2016 A-10 Men’s & Women’s Championships

Women

Meriza Werenski of Massachusetts claimed the first event of the night, the women’s 400 IM, in a time of 4:16.39. She defeated last nights 200 IM champ Megan Polaha of Fordham by a slim margin, as she touched for 2nd in 4:16.55. Both swims were well under the NCAA B cut of 4:19.39. Top seed after prelims Lexi Santer of Duqesne was 3rd in 4:20.83. Polaha beating out Santer was big for Fordham, as they were trailing Duquesne closely in the fight for second place.

Fordham’s Shannon Lulley continued Fordham’s strong session, winning the 100 fly in 53.42, breaking the existing pool record of 53.45. Sydney Fisher of George Mason was the top seed after prelims going 53.57, but couldn’t finish the job tonight finishing 2nd in 53.92. Kelley Yang of Richmond was 3rd in 53.97. All three were well under the NCAA B cut of 54.49.

Davidson’s Elise Lankiewicz continued her strong showing at this meet winning the 200 free in a time of 1:46.92, shattering the pool record of 1:47.24, and her own conference and meet record of 1:47.91 from the prelims. Richmond’s Annie Lane was 2nd in 1:48.00, and Lankiewicz’s Davidson teammate Angie Healy was 3rd in 1:48.25. Two swimmers in the top-3 was big for Davidson, as they moved within one point of Duqesne after this event.

Davidson continued to swim well, as junior Katy Williams touched first in the 100 breast winning in 1:01.73, over Richmond’s Erin Barry who was 2nd in 1:02.42. Both snuck under the NCAA B standard of 1:02.49. After them, it was a pair of Rhode Island swimmers finishing 3rd and 4th, with Nicole Petta in 3rd (1:02.88) and Carly DeLiberty in 4th (1:02.94).

Olivia DiStefano gave the La Salle women their first win of the night, taking the 100 back in 55.44. Richmond continued to stack on points, with Maggie Pope finishing 2nd in 55.61. Kate Moreton of Davidson was 3rd in 55.67.

Davidson out duelled Richmond for the win in the 400 medley relay, going 3:42.31 to Richmond’s 3:42.90. The winning team consisted of Kate Moreton, Katy Williams, Maggie Farrell and Elise Lankiewicz. Lankiewicz had a very fast anchor of 48.81. Fordham finished 3rd in 3:44.00 and Duqesne was 4th in 3:45.65.

University of Richmond continues to lead the overall score, now up by over 100 with 428 points. Duqesne and Davidson continue to dual for 2nd spot, and Massachusetts and Fordham are very tight for 4th.

Team Rankings

1. University of Richmond           428

2. Duquesne University               322

3. Davidson College                    319

4. University of Massachusetts     266

5. Fordham University                 264

6. George Mason University         222

7. George Washington University  164

8. University of Rhode Island        151

9. La Salle University                   127

10. St. Bonaventure University     114

11. Saint Louis University             112

Men

Steve Sholdra of Fordham opened the session with a win in the 400 IM, clocking 3:51.75 over St.Bonaventure’s Michael White who was 2nd in 3:53.54. Sholdra won the race on the freestyle, where he split 52.52. Both swimmers were under the NCAA B cut of 3:54.49. Austin Nguyenphu of Saint Louis was 3rd in 3:56.45. Saint Louis came into the session holding onto 3rd place with many teams close behind.

Andrea Bologensi continued his strong showing here winning the 100 fly in 47.18, breaking his own conference and meet records from the prelims (47.45). Ryan McCoy of Saint Louis was 2nd in 47.72, as both men got under the NCAA B standard of 48.29. Jakub Bartosiewicz of La Salle was 3rd in 48.64. La Salle and Saint Louis remained in a title battle for 3rd after this event, with Saint Louis up by just 2 points.

Massachusetts extended their team lead as Brian Stiles and Alessio Bomprezzi went 1-2 in the 200 free. Stiles won in 1:37.33, under the B cut of 1:37.99, and Bomprezzi was 2nd in 1:38.09. George Mason’s Jesse Burnley was 3rd in 1:38.46.

Bologseni picked up his second win of the night in the 100 breast, winning in a time of 52.44. That swim broke the conference and meet record he went this morning of 53.43, and broke the pool record of Ruben Giminez from 2014 that stood at 52.73. Johan Roth of La Salle was 2nd in 54.59, and Preston Schilling of St.Bonaventure was 3rd in 54.83. All three men were under the B cut.

St.Bonaventure’s Michael Pilyugin won the 100 back for the second year in a row in a time of 47.27, equalling his conference and meet record from last year. Pilyugin’s win helped boost St.Bonaventure into 2nd place in the team race. Luke Burton of Davidson was 2nd in 47.57, and Oliver Wyeth and Kellen Gray of Massachusetts were 3rd and 4th respectively. All four were under the B standard of 48.49.

Massachusetts divers have been a big help for the team as they lead the team race, as they placed three divers in the top 8 of the 3-meter including Trent Kindvall taking the win with a score of 290.75. St.Bonavenuture’s Alex Marra picked up his second runner-up finish of the weekend, finishing 2nd with a score of 287.70.

The La Salle men triumphed in what was a very close 400 medley relay, winning in a time of 3:16.11. The team of Fabian Bergman, Johan Roth, Cameron Fadley and Jakub Bartosiewicz beat out George Washington, Davidson, St. Bonaventure and Saint Louis in a very tight race. George Washington and Davidson tied for 2nd in 3:16.36, St. Bonaventure was 4th in 3:16.72, and Saint Louis was 5th in 3:16.82.

Heading into tomorrow, Massachusetts still holds a big lead for first, but after that there are many close battles going on. St. Bonaventure had a big session as they sit in 2nd place just ahead of La Salle. Saint Louis sits 4th with George Washignton, George Mason and Davidson close behind.

Team Standings

1. University of Massachusetts          472

2. St. Bonaventure University           344

3. La Salle University                       342.5

4. Saint Louis University                   306.5

5. George Washington University       296

6. George Mason University               281

7. Davidson College                          275

8. Fordham University                      109

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About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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