2015 BIG EAST SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- February 18th-21st
- Ithaca, New York
- Live Results
- Championship Central
ITHACA, N.Y. – After four days of competition at the Ithaca College Athletics and Events Center Aquatics Pavilion, the successes at the pool were reminiscent of 2014 as the Villanova Women and Xavier Men defended their titles as the 2015 BIG EAST Swimming and Diving Champions.
The Wildcat women finished with nine of 13 individual event wins, swept the relays and totaled 957.5 points. The Musketeer men similarly swept the five relay events and grabbed nine individual titles en route to 904 points.
Also a repeat of last year, Georgetown finished as BIG EAST Runner Up for both its men’s and women’s teams, with four total event wins and 736.5 points on the women’s side and 763 points on the men’s side.
The Women’s Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet, Villanova junior Kaisla Kollanus, recorded 60 individual points and three NCAA B cut BIG EAST individual titles (50 freestyle, 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle). Kollanus was also the anchor leg in four gold medal relay races (200 medley, 200 free, 400 medley and 400 free relays).
The Xavier men defending their Big East Championship in 2015 (Courtesy: Big East Conference)
The Men’s Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet, Xavier junior Nick Foster, scored 56 individual points for the Musketeers, with BIG EAST titles in the 500 and mile. Foster had won both of these events in 2014 as junior defended both his titles.
Seton Hall’s Ben Mitchell and Gabby Signorelli repeated as the Most Outstanding Divers of the Meet as both swept the one-meter and three-meter events.
Rick Simpson from Villanova was voted as the BIG EAST Women’s Coach of the Year, leading his Wildcat team to its second BIG EAST win in as many years. Jamie Holder from Georgetown and Brent MacDonald from Xavier tied for BIG EAST Men’s Coach of the Year.
Seton Hall’s Peter DeNoble grabbed BIG EAST Diving Coach of the Year honors.
Saturday’s final saw six NCAA B cuts on the women’s side all by Villanova swimmers, two by sophomore Emily Mayo who won first event of the night with a decisive victory in the mile swim. Kollanus had three and one was scored by Fiona Hardie in the 100-yard fly. Hardie finished the meet with three event wins and three relay victories.
Xavier’s Luke Johanns once again defended his title and won his second individual title of the championships with a 45.02 swim 100-yard freestyle. Xavier finished first and second with Johanns and Armando Moss (44.80), while Georgetown’s William Leach finished third.
In the 200 backstroke, Georgetown earned its second women’s individual title of the meet with Kathleen Duncalf taking first by two seconds past Xavier’s Drew Paxtyn at 2:00.62.
Arthur Smith of Xavier won his second backstroke victory of the championship this time winning the 200 back, clocking in at 1:49.49.
Kollanus earned her third event win of Saturday’s finals with a sub-50, 49.67 second finish in the 100 freestyle, an NCAA B cut.
Hoya rookie Molly Fitzpatrick won her second event of the championships, this time winning the 200-yard breaststroke by three seconds with a 2:17.34 finish. On the men’s side, James Logan from Seton Hall defended his title from a year ago by touching the pad at 2:03.87.
In the final individual race of the 2015 championships, Seton Hall won its second men’s racing title as rookie Matt Zebrowski won the 100 fly at 1:49.33.
FINAL Team Rankings
Women
1. Villanova (957.5 points)
2. Georgetown (736.5)
3. Xavier (555)
4. Seton Hall (472)
5. Providence (207)
6. Butler (187)
Men
1. Xavier (904 points)
2. Georgetown (763)
3. Seton Hall (690)
4. Villanova (416)
5. Providence (220)
Swim News Courtesy: Big East Conference
