PRESIDENTS’ ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (PAC) – MEN AND WOMEN
- Dates: Wednesday, February 12-Saturday, February 15, 2020
- Location: James E. Longnecker Pool – Grove City College
- Defending Champion: Westminster women; Grove City men
- Live Results: Available here
Courtesy: Presidents’ Athletic Conference
WOMEN
GROVE CITY, Pa. (pacathletics.org)–The Grove City College women earned two individual titles and secured a relay title Friday evening and will carry a 127-point lead over second-place Westminster College into the fourth and final day of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Swimming & Diving Championships on Saturday.
The conference championships are once again being held at Grove City’s James E. Longnecker Competition Pool. Longnecker Pool has been the home of the league’s championships since 1990.
After 13 events, Grove City leads the six-team championship field with 653 points. Westminster has 536 points.
Rounding out the field is Saint Vincent College in third (470), Chatham University in fourth (320), Washington & Jefferson College in fifth (136) and Bethany College in sixth (57).
Grove City captured its league-best 16th PAC title in 2017-18. It was the program’s 10th-straight conference championship.
Westminster is looking for its sixth league title. The Titans claimed the PAC Championship last February.
Grove City freshman Sydney Laughlin (Sykesville, Md. | Century) kicked off Friday’s six-event evening session with a win in the 400 IM. She posted a time of 4 minutes, 36.48 seconds.
Grove City senior Anne Shirley Dassow (Lookout Mountain, Tenn. | Chattanooga Christian) won the 100 fly for the fourth-straight year after posting a NCAA Division III B-cut time of time of 55.48.
Saint Vincent junior Marion D’Aurora (Leonardtown, Md. | St. Mary’s Ryken) won the 200 free with a time of 1:56.35.
Saint Vincent freshman Sara Basala (Somerset, Pa. | Somerset) claimed the PAC title in the 100 breaststroke for the second-straight year with a time of 1:07.80.
Chatham senior Mallory Marzolf (Cheswick, Pa. | Deer Lakes) won the 100 backstroke for the third-straight year with a time of 57.21, establishing a new Longnecker Pool, PAC open and PAC ‘championships record.
Grove City closed Friday’s evening session with a victory in the 200 medley relay, posting a time of 1:46.33. It was the Wolverines’ second-straight year winning the event. Members of the winning relay included senior Britt Byer (Canonsburg, Pa. | Canon-McMillan), senior Kimmi Wendelschaefer (Grove City, Pa. | Grove City), Dassow and freshman Rachael Wallace (Hopewell, Pa. | Hopewell).
MEN
GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)–Grove City College owns a 160-point advantage over Westminster College to lead the six-team field after the conclusion of Friday’s finals of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Swimming & Diving Championships.
The conference championships are once again being held at Grove City’s James E. Longnecker Competition Pool. Longnecker Pool has been the home of the league championships since 1990.
Through 14 events, Grove City has totaled 764 points. Westminster has 604 points.
Saint Vincent College sits in third place with 459 points and is followed by Washington & Jefferson College in fourth (238), Bethany College in fifth (83) and Chatham University in sixth (23).
Grove City is seeking its 20th league title after winning the PAC Championship last February. It was Grove City’s first league title since 2013-14. Westminster has claimed nine PAC championships since joining the league in 2003. Westminster won five-straight PAC titles from 2014-15 to 2017-18.
Grove City sophomore Luke Mason (Zeeland, Mich. | Holland Christian) kicked off Friday’s seven-event evening session by winning the 400 IM for the second-straight year. He finished with a time of 4 minutes, 5.21 seconds.
Saint Vincent junior Zach Baum (Derry, Pa. | Derry Area) won the 100 fly for the third-straight year, finishing with a NCAA Division III B-cut time of 48.92. His time of 48.35 in the preliminaries established new Longnecker Pool, PAC Open and PAC Championships records.
Westminster senior Matt Kwalick (Sewickley, Pa. | Quaker Valley) won the 200 free with a time of 1:42.82.
Grove City senior Ben Slate (Pfafftown, N.C. | Homeschooled) claimed the 100 breaststroke for the fourth-straight year, leading the way with a time of 57.90.
Grove City sophomore Noah Berkebile (San Diego, Calif. | Del Norte) took the 100 backstroke with a time of 52.60.
Westminster claimed the top three spots in the 11-dive, one-meter event. Junior Connor May (Highlands Ranch, Colo. | Glacier Park) won the event for the third-straight year after recording a score of 553. May also set new Longnecker Pool, PAC open and PAC Championship records.
Sophomore Patrick Holton (Livonia, Mich. | Winston Churchill) was the runner-up (497.95) while sophomore Austin Shaw (Gibsonia, Pa. | Pine-Richland) finished third (481.95).
May, Holton and Shaw all surpassed the qualifying standard for this year’s NCAA Division III regional championships.
Grove City closed Friday night’s finals with a victory in the 200 medley relay. Senior Jason Alexander (Hudson, Ohio | Hudson), Slate, senior Joshua Wakefield (Palmyra, Pa. | Palmyra) and freshman Mac Hancock (Brunswick, Ohio | Cuyahoga County Christian) posted a winning time of 1:33.95.
The PAC Championships conclude on Saturday, with preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m. The evening’s finals are slated to get underway at 5:30 p.m. Senior members from all six participating programs will be recognized at 5:15 p.m.
