WOMEN
The State University of New York at New Paltz women’s swimming team won six events, but the Hawks were done in by host Union (N.Y.) College’s 14 points in diving, placing second out of four teams at the Union Relays on Saturday with 106 points.
The Hawks had just two non-first place finishes across the nine events all afternoon: a second-place result in the 300 backstroke relay and a disqualification in the 200 medley relay. Union won with 112 points, while Montclair State University and Mount Saint Mary College placed third and fourth with 76 and 56 points, respectively.
New Paltz now has a two-week break from competition before swimming at the NYU Invitational from Friday-Saturday, Nov. 7-8. Friday’s session at the NYU Invitational is slated to begin at 5 p.m., while Saturday’s session is slated for 10 a.m.
The 400 medley relay foursome of junior Casey O’Connor (New Fairfield, Conn./New Fairfield), senior Samantha Granan (Hyde Park, N.Y./Franklin D. Roosevelt), junior Maggie Heaton (New Milford, Conn./New Milford) and junior Cassidy Griger (Cooperstown, N.Y./Cooperstown Central) kicked off the meet with a first-place finish, clocking a 4:10.93. After a second-place result in the 300 backstroke relay, the 300 breaststroke relay team of Granan, freshman Megan Joseph (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) and senior Colleen Stewart (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) got the Hawks back on track with a first-place time of 3:35.32.
Heaton, freshman Molly McCulloch (Rome, N.Y./Holland Patent) and junior Ella Graffin (Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca) teamed up to chart a first-place time of 3:09.01 in the 300 butterfly relay, while junior Krista VerMeersch (Newark, N.Y./Newark), O’Connor, senior Kat Buyes (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./John Jay-East Fishkill) and Griger combined for a first-place 4:52.50 in the 500 crescendo relay.
Joseph, McCulloch, VerMeersch and Graffin won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:41.31, while the 600 individual medley relay team of Granan, Joseph and Griger tied for first (6:57.59). Finally, the 400 freestyle relay squad of Joseph, McCulloch, Buyes and Griger posted a winning standard of 3:46.36.
MEN TAKE 3RD
The State University of New York at New Paltz men’s swimming team won two events at the Union Relays hosted by Union (N.Y.) College on Saturday in its season opener, finishing third with 92 points. It marked the first time in program history that New Paltz had won an event at the Union Relays.
The Hawks were edged by Montclair State University in the final team standings, as the Red Hawks finished with 96 points for second place. Host Union won with 146 points, while Mount Saint Mary College placed fourth with 56 points.
New Paltz now has a two-week break from competition before swimming at the NYU Invitational from Friday-Saturday, Nov. 7-8. Friday’s session at the NYU Invitational is slated to begin at 5 p.m., while Saturday’s session is slated for 10 a.m.
New Paltz’s first win of the day came in the 200 freestyle relay, as junior Will Koenig (Highland, Calif./Redlands East Valley) reeled in a Union swimmer on the anchor leg to help the Hawks post the winning time of 1:29.60. Freshman Caleb Treadwell (Cortland, N.Y./Cortland) and juniors Ethan Cooke (Middletown, Conn./Middletown) and Ryan Lindgren (Hurley, N.Y./Kingston) comprised the rest of the relay.
A 24.21 butterfly split by Treadwell helped New Paltz cruise to a victory in the 200 medley relay, as the foursome of Koenig, Lindgren, Treadwell and Cooke charted a 1:43.10.
In total, New Paltz posted four second-place finishes and three third-place finishes in addition to its two relay wins.
College Swimming News courtesy of New Paltz Swimming.
