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Disclaimer: Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The Swim of the Week is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.
It was a history-making day for the Army West Point swimming & diving program on Thursday, earning their first sweep over the U.S. Naval Academy in 36 years.
The Army women ended a 35-year losing skid against Navy, and freshman Angie McKane was among the swimmers playing a leading role for the Black Knights.
McKane’s headlining performance came in the women’s 100 fly, where she obliterated both her personal best and the Army School Record in a time of 52.51.
Her swim lowered the 10-year-old Army mark of 53.40, set by Ariana Bullard in 2014, and took down her previous personal best of 53.41 set at the NYSPHSAA Girls Championships last November.
McKane also took down the Crandall Pool Record of 53.13, established by Navy’s Caroline Irwin at the Army v. Navy showdown in December 2022. Irwin was in the field on Thursday, placing 2nd to McKane in 53.62.
McKane’s swim also ranks 3rd this season among mid-major programs in the NCAA, trailing only Rice’s Arielle Hayon (52.28) and Liberty’s Kamryn Cannings (52.32).
McKane also won the 100 back in a lifetime best of 54.05, lowering the Crandall Pool Record of 54.10 set by former Black Knight Kelly Hamilton in 2016, and added a 50 back PB of 25.05 leading off the record-setting 200 medley relay.
⭐️ ARMY SINGS SECOND TWICE WITH THE SWEEP OVER NAVY ⭐️#GoArmy #BeatNavy pic.twitter.com/fI2Ych2YZ0
— Army Swimming & Diving (@ArmyWP_SwimDive) December 6, 2024
Based on the performances of not only McKane, but the team as a whole, Army was clearly peaking for the dual meet against rival Navy and not the Wolfpack Elite Invite two weeks ago. At that meet, McKane raced the 50 and 100 free, falling well shy of best times.
That worked out in spades for the Black Knights, as a total of 12 program records fell in their first sweep over the Mids since 1988.
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