Binghamton at Canisius
- Dec. 1, 2018
- Men: Binghamton def. Canisius 191-108
- Women: Binghamton def. Canisius 200-100
- Results
Courtesy: Binghamton Athletics
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Sophomore Kaitlyn Smolar won three events and set a program record, highlighting the Binghamton swimming & diving teams sweep at Canisius in their final meet of the fall on Saturday at the Koessler Athletic Center. The Bearcat women (4-0) won 200-100 while the men (3-0) recorded a 191-108 triumph. This marks the first time in Binghamton’s 17-year NCAA Division I era that both swimming & diving teams have finished the fall portion of their schedules unbeaten in dual meets.
“Today everyone met the expectations we had for them,” head coach Brad Smith said. “We were a little banged up and Canisius is a tough team but we are really happy with how we did.”
Smolar, who was named the America East Women’s Swimmer of the Week on Oct. 30, swept the 1,000 (10:18.78), the 500 (5:05.90) and the 200 (1:54.05). Her time in the 1,000 broke the previous Binghamton program record of 10:22,96, which Lauren Flowers established in 2012.
Also winning three events for the Bearcat women was senior Brooke Pettis, who captured the 200 fly (2:0515), the 100 fly (56.05) and the 200 IM (2:10.40). Sophomore Erica Bachiller was a double winner, sweeping the 100 back (57.77) and 200 back (2:07.74).
Other first-place finishers on the women’s side were freshman Kelli O’Shea in the 200 breast (2:24.60), freshman Amanda McGraw in the one-meter diving competition (256.93) and junior Sydney Atendido in the 100 breast (1:05.75).
On the men’s side, Binghamton had four double winners. Senior Alex Brion took top honors in the 50 (20.75) and 100 (47.10), fellow senior Zachary Kaplan swept the 100 back (51.75) and 200 back (1:55.48), junior Ross Bernstein was first in the 200 fly (1:53.83) and 200 IM (1:53.96) and sophomore Patrick Wilson won the 100 breast (57.73) and 200 breast (2:05.50).
The other first-place finishers on the men’s side were senior Max Willard in the 1,000 (9:50.25), sophomore David Walters in the one-meter diving event (274.05) and junior Dylan Van Manen in the 500 free (4:45.90).
In addition to the individual winners, the Bearcats’ depth played a significant role against Canisius. Binghamton swept the top three places in the women’s 1,000, 100 back and 100 breast. On the men’s side, the Bearcats finished 1-2 in the 100 back, 200 fly, 50 free, 1-meter diving and 200 back.
“We have a lot of swimmers who have been consistent top-three finishers this year who have come up big for us in the meets,” Smith said. “They may not get the attention that our first-place finishers do but they have been a very important part of our success.”
Overall, the Bearcats could not be more pleased with where they are heading into the 2019 portion of their schedule.
“We are stronger now as a program than we’ve been since I’ve been here,” Smith said. “Not only did we win every meet this fall, but we’ve had Zone (diving) qualifiers, we’ve broken school records and many of our home pool records. Everyone has been working hard and doing their part.”
Binghamton begins the new year at the Florida Sprint Invitational on Jan. 5.
Courtesy: Canisius Athletics
The Canisius men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were swept by Binghamton Saturday afternoon at the Burt Flickinger Center in downtown Buffalo.
The Canisius men fell to Binghamton 191-108, while the women’s team dropped a 200-100 decision to the Bearcats.
On the women’s side, the relay unit made up of sophomores Madison Chapin and Kelsey Childress, junior Ashlynn Gilfillan and senior Cassie Brousseau started the day off for the Golden Griffins by placing second in the 400-yard medley relay, with a time of 4:04.47. Chapin also took home two third-place finishes in the 100-yard butterfly (59.87) and 200-yard IM (2:13.99) events.
Sophomore Sage Pollack earned top-honors in the 50-yard (24.38) and 100-yard (54.65) free races for the Griffs. The relay unit of sophomores Kelly Burns and Alexis Agee, Pollack and Gilfillan closed-out the day for the Blue and Gold with a second-place finish in 200-yard free relay with a mark of 1:39.75.
In the men’s competition, senior James Pokornowski highlighted the meet by placing second in the 1,000-yard (9:56.53) and 500-yard (4:46.09) free races. Freshman Liam O’Connell helped the effort placing first in the 200-yard free race with a time of 1:46.07. O’Connell also earned secondary honors in the 100-yard free (47.78) and 200-yard free relay (1:25.52) events.
In the diving portion, sophomore Brett Palo received top honors on the 3-meter board with a score of 276.30. In the women’s diving competition, senior Vivian Mroz earned top-honors on the 3-meter board as well, with her score of 233.10.
Head Coach Scott Vanderzell‘s Postgame Comments
“I think the team continues to improve as the season progresses. We had a lot of season-best times, even though we came up short. It was a solid effort to closeout 2018. We will train hard heading into the new year as we prepare for MAACs in February.”
UP NEXT
Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams return to action Jan. 19, 2019 when Canisius travels to face long-time rival Niagara in a dual meet. That event, which will be held in Lewiston, N.Y., is set to start at 11 a.m.
