William and Mary Takes Down Davidson; Women Set Pool Record

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia, January 12. THE William and Mary Tribe, fresh off a training trip to Puerto Rico, posted a pair of victories against Davidson last night. The women won 152-110 with a pool record, and the men took home a 169-93 triumph.

William and Mary Men’s Release
The William and Mary men’s swimming team churned through more than 55,000 yards of practice laps in the last week, but showed no signs of fatigue in sprinting past Davidson 169-93 on Saturday. With the win, the Tribe’s impressive season continued at 6-1, while the Wildcats fell to 1-4 on the year.

Sophomore teammates Will Manion (Haddonfield, N.J.) and Billy Russell (Newport News, Va.) continued to duke it out for top honors on the team, winning two events each and combining to help win the 200 free relay. For his part, Manion proved the best in the 200 back in 1:52.12, with the ninth-best dual-meet time ever, and the 200 free, where he swam a lifetime-best 1:41.60 to just miss the pool record. His performance in a rarely-tried event also makes him the 14th-fastest swimmer in school history, and it was the fourth-best dual-meet time ever for the Tribe.

Russell continued to re-define what it means to be a Tribe sprinter, winning the 50 free in 20.81 seconds and the 100 fly in 51.36 seconds. His 50 free effort is the second-fastest dual-meet performance ever, and his time in the 100 fly was the 10th-fastest. It also led a sweep of the top three spots for W&M, as the event was the fastest dual-meet race in school history. Senior Andrew Strait (Henrico, Va.) was second in 51.40 (the 11th-fastest time ever), and freshman Alex Montes de Oca (Orange, Va.) was third in 51.64, the 15th-fastest dual-meet performance. Finally for Manio and Russell, they combined with Strait and freshman Greg Rogers (Yardley, Pa.) to win the 200 free relay in 1:25.59.

Also of note, Strait won the 200 fly in a lifetime-best 1:53.70 to improve to No. 12 all-time at W&M. His performance was the third-fastest ever in a dual meet for the Tribe. Junior Chris Dong (Chapel Hill, N.C.) won the 200 breast in 2:07.88, the 12th-best dual-meet performance, and sophomore Jeremiah O’Donnell (Chapel Hill, N.C.) won the 100 breast in a lifetime-best 57.82 seconds to become the 13th-fastest swimmer in school history. O’Donnell’s time was also the 13th-best ever in a dual-meet. Junior Taegan Clarke (Chappaqua, N.Y.) won the 100 free in 47.50 seconds, and the final win of the day came from the 400 medley relay, where the team of Montes de Oca, Dong, Ryan Natal (Great Falls, Va.), and Clarke combined to carry the victory in 3:26.34.

William and Mary now has two weeks off before hosting Old Dominion on Saturday, Jan. 25. The meet against the Monarchs is worth 10 points in the Optima Health Challenge, the year-long challenge between W&M and ODU, and will also mark the final home meet for seniors Strait, Tyler Poling (Morristown, N.J.), and John Rittenhouse (London, England).

William and Mary Women’s Release
The William and Mary women’s swimming team began the spring season Saturday by taking down a spirited Davidson squad, 152-110. The Tribe improves to 5-3 on the year with the win, while the Wildcats fell to 7-3 overall.

W&M had a plethora of top performances on the day, including a pool record and the best-ever dual-meet 50 free. Both came in the 200 free relay, as junior Megan Howard (McLean, Va.) went 23.33 to start off teammates Jaimie Miller (Houston, Texas), Sara Schad (North Yarmouth, Maine), and Greta Schneider (Moorestown, N.J.). The squad time of 1:34.84 was more than a half-second better than the old record of 1:35.45 set by the Tribe against East Carolina in 2011, and also is the 15th-best relay ever at W&M. Howard’s lead-off time broke the Tribe’s dual-meet record of 23.36, set by Katie Radloff ’10 in 2010.

Schad also swam very well in the 400 medley relay and in her two individual events. In the 50 free, she won the race in 24.52, an achievement that was her first-ever victory. In the 100 free, she was second in 53.03 behind Noelle Klockner (Marlboro, N.J.), who won in 52.75 seconds. In the 400 medley relay, Schad anchored the team of Sophie Rittenhouse (London, England), Allie Christy (Williamsburg, Va.), and Georgie Crompton (Brooklandville, Md.) to victory in 3:52.66.

Rittenhouse was another strong performer on the day, beginning with that relay. Her lead-off of 57.35 was the sixth-fastest dual-meet 100 back ever swum. She also won the 200 back in 2:03.45, the 16th-fastest dual meet performance. Senior Devin Henry (Roanoke, Va.) went a dual-meet best 2:10.77 to win the 200 IM, and Howard won the 100 back in a lifetime-best 57.76 to rank 13th all-time at W&M. Rounding out the winners on the day was the freshman Crompton who took the 100 fly in 57.35, which was the third-fastest dual-meet time in school history.

William and Mary is back in the pool tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 12, on the road at Richmond. The Tribe and the Spiders are set to begin at 1 p.m.

Davidson Release
Elise Lankiewicz won a trio of events, while Dylan Ludwick and Katy Williams each claimed a pair of individual victories as the Davidson swim teams fell to William & Mary at the W&M Rec Center Saturday afternoon. The women fell by a score of 152-110, while the men dropped a 169-93 meet to the Tribe.

Lankiewicz claimed the 200-yard freestyle (1:54.16), 200-yard butterfly (2:08.61) and the 500-yard freestyle (5:02.34).

The women’s “A” 400-yard medley relay of Lankiewicz, Williams, Meredith Nakano and Angie Healy claimed second with a time of 3:53.37. The men followed suit as Luke Burton, Grant Smith, Will Fox and Cameron Bard teamed for a time of 3:28.95.

Anna Blair Bullock kicked off the individual events with a win in the 1,000-yard freestyle. She touched in 10:41.04 for the victory. Her male counterpart Ludwick matched her feat, winning in 9:50.35 while Max Schimanski took third in 9:56.40.

Burton won the 100-yard backstroke, touching the pads in 51.80. Lauren Malachowski was the top Davidson finisher in the women’s event, taking fourth in 1:02.49. Burton would later finish third in the 200-yard backstroke, finishing in 1:55.96.

Williams grabbed her first individual win of the day in the 100-yard breaststroke, leading the way at 1:06.61. Nakano was third in 1:07.76, followed by Caroline Vrana in fourth with a time of 1:08.03. Grant Smith swam a 59.36 to take third place for the men.

Fox was the runner-up in the 200-yard butterfly, clocking in at 1:56.85. Liz Mace was third for the women, touching at 2:11.44.

Kassie Shannon posted a time of 24.81 in the 50-yard freestyle, with Erica Clancy taking fourth in 25.00. Bard was the men’s runner-up in 21.70, with Brandon Kegley following in third with a time of 21.77.

Kegley was the Wildcats’ top finisher in the 100-yard freestyle, claiming second in 47.70. Bard was fourth in 47.89, as was Healy in the women’s event with a time of 54.05.

Williams and Nakano provided the one-two punch for Davidson in the 200-yard breaststroke. Williams earned the win in a time of 2:23.57, with Nakano close behind in 2:24.34 for second place. Smith was third for the men, clocking in at 2:09.92.
Ludwick picked up his second individual win of the day in the 500-yard freestyle. He touched in a time of 4:43.42 for the win.

Nakano was the runner-up in the 100-yard fly, clocking in at 57.78. Emma Tobey followed in third at 1:00.56, while Emily Covert was fourth with a mark of 1:01.29. Fox was the top Davidson finisher in the men’s race, taking fourth in 51.66.

Smith and Ludwick took first and second, respectively in the 200-yard IM. Smith was the top finisher in a time of 1:57.20. Ludwick was close behind in 1:58.35.

The women’s 200-yard freestyle relay wrapped things up with a second-place finish. Clancy, Malachowski, Healy and Shannon teamed for a time of 1:38.50. The men’s quartet of Bard, Kegley, Burton and Colin MacKay was also second, clocking in at 1:26.46.

The Wildcats return to Cannon Pool on Saturday to host CCSA foe Gardner-Webb in a 1 p.m. dual meet.

Results For: William and Mary vs. Davidson

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