2022 ECAC Championships
- February 25-27, 2022
- Lejeune Hall, US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland
- 25 yards (SCY), Prelims/Finals
- Championship Central
- Psych Sheets
- Friday Finals Results
- Friday Team Scores
The ECAC Championships have lost some of their former luster in recent years, but a confluence of circumstances has given the meet some spark back for 2022.
That includes serving as a primary championship for the women’s teams from James Madison and Stony Brook universities, which were orphaned from their conference championship meets this season when their athletics departments announced new conferences for next season.
A total of five Meet Records were broken in 12 events on Friday, many of which were a decade-or-longer old.
Women’s Recap
While the meet has important additional focuses this year, it still does serve as a valuable last-chance racing opportunity, and at least one swimmer, Penn’s Catherine Buroker, took advantage of that opportunity on Friday.
She swam 4:41.84 to win the women’s 500 free. That knocked three seconds off Rachel Burnett’s 2011 record of 4:44.86 swimming for West Virginia, and more importantly crushed Buroker’s time of 4:44.83 from the Ivy League Championships.
Buroker entered the meet ranked 66th in the country in the 500 free, but with mostly last chance meet 500 frees remaining, she has now rocketed up the rankings to 28th. Between 36 and 40 women are typically selected per event for NCAAs, so she is now in great position to join her teammate Lia Thomas, who ranks 1st in the country in the event, at the NCAA Championships for Penn.
The Richmond women, who finished 3rd at the Atlantic 10 Championships, won both the 200 free relay and 400 medley relay on Friday, and set Meet Records in both.
The group of Abby Fuller, Lauren Medlin, Lucy Yeomans, and Margaret Purcell combined for a 1:31.58. That undercut Army-West Point’s old Meet Record from 2019, though it just missed Richmond’s A-10 winning best time of 1:31.37.
Fuller, a freshman, also won the 50 free in 23.09
Later in the session, the Richmond group of Katelyn Pennell, Sara Greene, Claire O’Shaughnessy, and Margaret Purcell combined for a 3:40.90. That too broke the old Meet Record, this one that was set by Virginia in 2016, by more than two seconds. Runners-up James Madison were also under the old record.
James Madison with a full roster at the meet took the lead in the team scoring. That included a win in the 200 IM by Jess Pryne in 1:58.97, which breaks the James Madison school record.
Stony Brook swimmers also set a school record at the meet. That includes a 3:48.58 in the 400 medley relay that broke a school record that was 14 years old, set in 2008.
Marist senior Grace Reeves won the 3-meter diving event with a score of 245.60.
Women’s Team Scores After Day 1 (Top 5):
- James Madison – 223
- Navy – 171
- Penn – 144
- Richmond – 131
- Columbia – 81
Men’s Meet Recap
The men’s meet also saw the session open with a Meet Records, this one coming from Navy.
Fresh off a dominant Patriot League performance that saw the Midshipmen win their 18th title in 18 seasons in the conference, Navy got even faster this week in the 200 free relay.
Their winning group on Friday swam 1:19.05, which broke a decade-old Meet Record in the event also held by Navy. The team of Natanas Gaver (20.20), Austin Lockhart (19.73), Eli Williams (19.43), and Brendan Sullivan (19.69) combined to drop half-a-second off Navy’s 200 free relay from the Patriot League Championships, which included four different swimmers. The time ties them with Loyola (MD) as the fastest swim in the conference so far this season.
Navy also won the 400 medley relay in 3:16.94.
The Navy men also picked up wins in the 200 IM (Nate Sukeena – 1:49.36, a lifetime best) and 50 free (Eli Williams – 20.04, a lifetime best). Hunter Seibert won the 1-meter diving event for the Navy men as well.
Navy very-nearly swept the day on the men’s side, but it was Columbia’s Rene Strezenicky who won the 500 free in 4:25.59.
Men’s Scores After Day 1 (Top 5):
- Navy – 242
- Columbia – 135
- Rider – 130
- Yale – 116
- Bucknell – 85
ecac’s just got slayed
Lia Thomas isn’t first in the country, no?
This article is not about her. This is about a great swim by Catherine Buroker to qualify for NCAAs and other great swims at a last chance meet
They mentioned her in the article, so I responded to it with a question. Calm down.
“so she is now in great position to join her teammate Lia Thomas, who ranks 1st in the country in the event, at the NCAA Championships for Penn.” and if you read 3 words beyond her name you should have had your answer
Yeah but then he wouldn’t have been able to get everyone fired up by being a troll.
This is what trolls do: they’re intentionally obnoxious in order to get attention. He saw an opening and took it. I’m sure he would’ve posted the same whether Lia was mentioned or not – once he saw Penn, he couldn’t resist.
He doesn’t want to make the world a better place. He just wants to land punches.
Incorrect, actually, but nice try buddy. My question was in response to the article, because I thought Brooke Forde led the country in the 500 from mid-season invite. Thanks for your opinion, though.
Brooke Forde was 4:36.96 mid-season. Lia was 4:34.
Thank you, I appreciate it.