Army vs Boston College
- Friday, October 8, 2021
- Chestnut Hill, Mass.
- Results
Courtesy: Boston College Athletics
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — The Boston College swim and dive team hosted Army in their first dual meet of the season last Friday, October 8. On the men’s side, Army defeated Boston College 180 to 120, winning the men’s competition for the second year in a row. On the women’s side, Boston College avenged their loss last season with a 214.5 to 85.5 victory, winning thirteen of the sixteen events.
As a team, Boston College logged nine finishes that now rank in the top-ten all time in program history, including two pool records and one new school record.
Junior Livy Poulin made headlines in the one-meter dive, scoring a 288.10 to break the Boston College school record and qualify for NCAA Zones. After breaking Kristen Gray’s 2001 mark of 285.00 at Boston College’s intrasquad meet last month, Livy re-broke her own record on Friday to set the new school mark.
In the women’s 500 Freestyle, Megan Kramer set a pool record of her own, swimming a 4:57.89 to win the event and breaking the previous record of 4:59.40 set in 2019 by Easop Lee (Duke University).
WOMEN’S HIGHLIGHTS:
• Livy Poulin set the new program record in the one-meter dive with a score of 288.10
• Swept the 500 Freestyle (Megan Kramer, Olivia Howard, Lindsey Ryalls)
• Swept the 100 Backstroke (Nicole Barkemeyer, Lauren Sielicki, Claire Russell)
• Swept the 200 Individual Medley (Megan Kramer, Nicole Barkemeyer, Liza Murtagh)
• Finished first and second in five events
MEN’S HIGHLIGHTS:
• Finished first and second in the 200 Butterfly (Andrew Blusiewicz, Lucius Yu-Kisselbach)
• Finished first and second in the 100 Butterfly (Kyle Floyd, Matt Szekely)
• Zachary Szmania won the 500 Freestyle (4:36.90) and the 1000 Freestyle (9:31.92)
• Michael Horkan won the 100 Backstroke with a time of 50.97
UP NEXT:
The Eagles will go on the road to face Duke and North Carolina Wilmington on October 29 and 30.
Courtesy: Army Athletics
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Army West Point swimming & diving team split its meet at Boston College on Friday evening, as the men defeated the Eagles 180-120, while the women dropped a 214.5-85.5 result.
The action between the teams was highlighted by multiple Cadets setting facility records at the Eagles’ home pool. The duo of Evan Zhang and Evan Yoo did so twice in the breaststroke events, first achieving the feat in the 100 Breast before matching the effort in the 200-yard race. Additionally, the diving tandem of David Manelis (343.90) and Daniel Alaimo (331.35) each bested the previous facility record in the 1m dive.
The Men’s Meet
The scoring was fairly even between the teams early on, as the Eagles and the Cadets each claimed two first-place finishes apiece through the opening four events.
Army then gained some serious momentum by capturing four-straight swims and a diving event to take the lead over Boston College. Though the home team pushed back with a pair of victories, the Black Knights answered by sweeping the 200 IM thanks to Kevin Lin, Yoo and Zhang.
Like the 1m dive, Army also earned top finishes on the 3m board. Alaimo won the event with a score of 319.35 and was followed by Manelis, who notched a 310.10.
Both Lin (200 Free, 200 IM) and Zhang (100 Breast, 200 Breast) led the team with a pair of first-place finishes in individual events, accounting for over 30 of the team’s total points.
Along with individual success, the Cadets gained crucial points throughout the meet from relays. The quartet of Jacob Powell, Zhang, Ian Shahan and Owen Harlow opened up the action with a triumph in the 200 Medley Relay, while the team of Shahan, Harlow, William Rankin and Harlow closed things out with a win in the 200 Free Relay.
The Women’s Meet
Boston College opened up the women’s competition with a slew of wins before Melinda Zhang snapped the scoring with a victory in the 200 IM. She out-touched an Eagle by 0.03 seconds to secure the event and was joined in the scoring by Jasmine Coe, who collected two points with a fourth-place finish.
Though the home team answered back with additional victories, Aurelie Migault and Meghan Cole eventually added the team’s second and third event wins of the night by taking home the 200 Breast and the 100 Fly.
On the boards, Army was once again led by Minh Donnell, who tied for first on the 1m board with a score of 259.25 and placed second on the 3m. Abigail Gibbs also contributed in both events, placing fourth on the 1m board and sixth in the 3m event.
Boston College continued to control the meet down the stretch, though the Cadets were able to pick up points along the way.
Men’s Event Winners
1M Dive – Danny Alaimo – 319.35
200 Medley Relay – Jacob Powell, Evan Zhang, Ian Shahn, Owen Harlow – 1:31.37
200 Free – Kevin Lin – 1:40.13
100 Breast – Evan Zhang – 55.48
50 Free – Owen Harlow – 20.68
3M Dive – David Manelis – 343.90
100 Free – Jacob Powell – 46.05
200 Back – Sam Wesley – 1:51.15
200 Breast – Evan Zhang – 2:01.42
200 IM – Kevin Lin – 1:52.88
200 Free Relay – Ian Shahan, Owen Harlow, William Rankin, Jacob Powell – 1:23.44
Women’s Event Winners
*1M Dive – Minh Donnell – 259.25
200 Fly – Melinda Zhang – 2:05.30
200 Breast – Aurelie Migault – 2:21.24
100 Fly – Meghan Cole – 57.32
* – Tie
Coach’s Corner
“Today was a big step forward for our program,” head coach Brandt Nigro said. “Our women faced their second Power 5 opponent of the week in back-to-back days. Despite travel and the quick turnaround, they dug deep and stepped up to compete from start to finish. For the men, they knew this would be a close meet and I challenged them to go a full 16 rounds with BC and to never back down. They did just that, they kept at it event after event. I’m proud of the team’s ability to fight for one another and take it one event at a time. Things that we’ve been working on for a while now are starting to click and I’m excited to see where we can go from here. The next two weeks will be two of the most important training weeks of the season and we are ready to get back to work.”
Cadets’ Corner
“Today was an exciting meet to be a part of. It was special to see the Army team step up to compete and win against a good program. There were some spectacular performances throughout the meet which displayed our resiliency and determination. Our team also excelled today at creating our own energy and being loud in support of our teammates. From coaches to staff to athletes, each member came together to celebrate our wins and shake off our losses. We are excited to enter a few weeks of uninterrupted training with high morale and to keep taking steps towards our team goals. Watch out because the Army team is on a roll.” – Kevin Lin
“I think Boston College was healthy competition which brought out the grit and determination in us. It taught us to learn from our mistakes in our previous events and come back and do better in later events regardless of the competition. I was able to do this in the 100 breaststroke to 200 breaststroke and was very excited with my swims.” – Aurelie Migault
What’s Next
Army will spend the next few weeks preparing for an upcoming meet at Seton Hall on Saturday, Oct. 23. The Black Knights are scheduled to take on the Pirates at 1 p.m. at the Arthur E. Imperatore Natatorium.
Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point swimming & diving, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_SwimDive and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.
