Landmark Conference Swimming Gearing Up For Sizzling Weekend

By Luke McGuire, Swimming World College Intern

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After a busy weekend of Landmark Conference swimming competition, eight of the nine conference teams will be in action again this week. Marywood will compete on Wednesday, and Catholic, Elizabethtown, Goucher, Drew, Scranton, Juniata, and Susquehanna will swim on Saturday.

A Look Back

On Saturday, November 8, Goucher hosted Scranton and Juniata for a meet that featured some very fast swims. Goucher’s men defeated Scranton, but the Scranton women topped Goucher while both the Goucher and Scranton women defeated Juniata. Goucher’s men claimed seven of the nine individual events, with Morgan Richter (Sr.) pocketing three himself, while the women received three wins from freshman Alexis Regopoulos.

Marywood defeated Drew on Saturday, earning its first conference wins, and then defeated non-conference opponent Cabrini College on Sunday. Also on Sunday, Catholic hosted Susquehanna, but the visiting men and women both came away with wins.

The Catholic University of America

After suffering their first Landmark defeats of the season, Catholic will get back in the pool on Saturday, November 15, against Drew. The visit to Drew will be the only meet between conference opponents this week. The Cardinal men will lean on freshman Peter Bajorek, who posted an impressive 2:02.58 in the 200 butterfly this weekend, and sophomore Joe Cihak, who leads CUA in both sprint freestyle events. Senior Julia Wisler and freshman Basira Knight, this week’s Conference Swimmer of the Week, will continue to excel for the women, coming off strong swims in the 50 free (25.99) and 100 breaststroke (1:08.95) respectively.

Quick Gallery from Susquehanna Meet

Susquehanna University

Susquehanna will travel to Gettysburg, PA for a tri-meet against Gettysburg College and Messiah College on Saturday. With big wins against Catholic behind them, the men and women will hope to build on their momentum. Sophomores Bill Crumrine and Eric Lawrence will be big factors for the Crusaders, with Crumrine’s 500 (4:57.25) and 1000 (10:08.64) freestyles and Lawrence’s 200 backstroke (2:03.49) and 400 IM (4:23.32) earning first places this past weekend. Lexi Cole, Annie Bruxelles, and Kelsey Lessard each won three events for Susquehanna this past weekend, and their presence will be felt in upcoming meets.

Marywood University

Marywood’s women will compete against Cedar Crest College on Wednesday in non-conference competition. The women have been paced by Kim Petersen (Jr.) in the breaststroke events, and freshmen Julissa Quezada and Virginia Cobb have been big additions for the Pacers this season. Quezada’s 100 butterfly (1:07.00) and Cobb’s 200 freestyle (2:05.89) make them serious contenders in those events in upcoming competitions. The Marywood men are off this week.

Scranton University

Scranton will host Ramapo College on Saturday in a non-conference meet. Despite a loss to Goucher last weekend, the Royals have seen some strong swims from Patrick Blaser (Fr.) in the 1000 free (10:51.91) and 100 breaststroke (1:04.35). Joseph Vanucci (Fr.) is also a constant threat in the backstroke, with a 57.25 in the 100 this past weekend. The women have a strong group of freestylers that includes Megan Connor in the 200 (2:04.46), Emma Sommers in the 50 (25.96), and Raquel Wasserman in the 100 (54.25).

Goucher College

Coming off their first dual meet victory over Scranton in program history, the Goucher Gophers will host Gallaudet on Saturday. The Goucher men took down three pool records in their victory, with Sam Davis’ 21.77 in the 50 free and Landmark Swimmer of the Week Colin Richter’s 54.25 in the 100 back accounting for two of them. Goucher’s women picked up three wins from Alexis Regopoulos, and Kyanna Cadwaller (Fr.) and Nicole Craver (Sr.) were impressive in the 50 free (26.57) and 200 IM (2:22.06), respectively.

Drew University

Despite falling to Marywood, Drew saw strong results from its relay team of DeMarco, Mari, Amodio, and Smoliga. All four men swam well individually, and will continue to lead Drew throughout the season. On the women’s side, freshman Jenny Stein won the 50 free (26.72) and 100 free (58.56), and Jordan Jessup clocked a 1:08.44 in the 100 back to win. Drew will host Catholic on Saturday.

Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown will visit non-conference opponent Farleigh-Dickinson University at Florham on Saturday. After a week off from competition, Elizabethtown will look to Kim Cosgrove in the distance freestyles, as her 1000 (11:30.24) remains one of the top marks in the conference. The men will need strong swims from David Foery (So.), who leads the team in the 100 (50.86) and 200 (1:56.03) freestyles, and Kieran Kohler in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.18). Elizabethtown will also visit Widener University on Monday, November 17.

Juniata College

The Juniata women, coming off difficult losses to Scranton and Goucher, can look forward to a visit to Kutztown University on Saturday. The Peachey sisters are a dual-threat in the 100 butterfly for Juniata, with Krista out-touching Alyssa 1:07.77 to 1:07.92 last weekend. Meghan Swaveley also provides some firepower in the sprint free events, and touched third in the 100 free (58.66) against Goucher and Scranton.

The United States Merchant Marine Academy

USMMA will not compete this week.

Upcoming Schedule

November 12: Marywood vs Cedar Crest College
November 15: Elizabethtown at FDU-Florham
November 15: Goucher vs Gallaudet University
November 15: Scranton vs Ramapo College
November 15: Susquehanna at Gettysburg College, Messiah College
November 15: Catholic at Drew
November 15: Juniata at Kutztown University
November 17: Elizabethtown at Widener University

Landmark Conference Swimmers of the Week

On Monday, November 10, the Landmark Conference announced that Goucher’s Colin Richter (Jr.) and Catholic’s Basira Knight (Fr.) had been selected as swimmers of the week. Richter now owns the top times in the conference in the 100 backstroke and 200 IM, while Knight owns the fastest 100 breaststroke mark and is second in the 200 breaststroke. Both will be in action again this upcoming weekend.

Luke McGuire is a junior IM/breaststroker at the Catholic University of America. Prior to joining CUA, McGuire trained with the Devon Manor Swim Team as well as the Lower Paxton Aquatic Club.

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