Patriot Invitational
- November 17-19, 2022
- Jim Kay Natatorium – Fairfax, VA
- SCY (25 Yards)
- Results: “2022 Patriot Invitational” on MeetMobile
- Division I NCAA Cut Times
- What Will It Take To Qualify for 2023 NCAAs?
Teams
- American University
- Florida Atlantic University
- George Mason University
- Marist College
- Towson University
- UNC-Wilmington
- University of Richmond (women only)
The George Mason women opened the first night of finals at the Patriot Invitational with a bang, setting a new school record in the 200 freestyle relay and winning the event. The team of Ali Tyler, Jacqueline Clabeaux, Peyton Brehmer, and Shannon Judge clocked 1:31.68, besting the previous mark of 1:31.96. Three of the four women on this year’s team helped set the old record at last year’s Patriot Invite, making this the second straight year they’ve taken down the school record at this meet.
Tyler wasn’t done either–the sophomore won the 200 IM in 1:59.45, a new meet record. It’s a massive personal best for the sophomore and her first time under the 2 minute mark. Her old best stood at 2:01.10 from a club meet in March 2021. She was also the only woman in the field to break 2:00, her teammate Clabeaux finished second in 2:01.07.
With Madison Nails winning the 500 free (4:52.04), the George Mason women had built up momentum with a three event win streak. That was snapped in the 50 freestyle, with American University junior Mimi Watts taking the win in 22.83. Like Tyler, Watts won the event by a large margin; she finished .57 seconds ahead of the second place Judge. Watts holds a lifetime best of 22.72–also AU’s school record–which she posted at 2022 Patriot League Championships. It’s also a strong mid-season swim for her as last year at this meet she had yet to break 23 seconds.
George Mason went right back to their winning ways in the 400 medley relay, posting 3:40.32 to take the event by over two seconds ahead of Towson. The Patriot women showcased their depth through the first day of competition: the 500 freestyle was the lone event where they only had one swimmer in the ‘A’ final. They’re far from running away with the meet though. 32 points separates the top three teams (George Mason, Towson, and FAU) with two days of racing still to go.
On the men’s side, it’s FAU who put on a show on Day 1. They earned wins in two individual events, and their ‘A’ and ‘B’ relays in both the 200 free relay and 400 medley relay finished in the top five.
Though sophomore Timo Paisley added time from the personal best 4:25.67 he swam in prelims, he still won the 500 freestyle by almost two seconds with his 4:28.66. Towson’s Brian Benzing finished second in 4:30.61, dropping nearly ten seconds from his entry time of 4:40.51. There are no recorded USA Swimming times for the junior in this event prior to this meet, making his swim all the more impressive. At the 2022 CAA championships, he won the 100 breaststroke and finished second in the 200 breast and 200 IM.
FAU’s other event win came in the men’s 200 IM, where Alec Peckmann led from start to finish. He touched in 1:47.91, .78 seconds off his lifetime best 1:47.13, which he swam to win at this meet last year. The Towson men went 2-3-8, while the rest of the lanes in the ‘A’ final were taken by FAU swimmers.
Towson won the other three events on the day: the 50 freestyle and both relay.s It was Michael Fazio who won the 50 free, clocking 20.03. American University’s Nick Buckley finished second in 20.28, just .08 seconds off his school record.
In the 200 free relay, Benzing showed off his versatility again, leading off the relay in 20.07. That would have earned second in the individual event and he, Fazio, TJ Bearor, and Daniel McLaughlin earned the win in 1:20.28. Benzing and Fazio also helped Towson collect the win in the 400 medley, splitting 46.91 on fly and 43.45 on free, respectively. They, Evan Bota, and Noah Diacumakos touched in 3:13.92, beating FAU by .28 seconds.
Team Scores Thru Day 1
Women
- George Mason – 264
- Towson – 233
- FAU – 232
- Richmond – 140
- American – 120
- Marist – 56
Men
- FAU – 320
- Towson – 250
- George Mason – 189
- Marist/American – 114
