Navy Swimming and Diving Teams Continue Domination of Army With Another Dual Meet Sweep

Photo Credit: Navy Athletics

WEST POINT – The Navy swimming and diving teams swept rival Army in the teams’ annual rivalry meet Thursday night, with the women’s team coming out ahead 194-106 and the men earning a 199-101 victory.

Navy Press Release

The longest winning streaks in Army-Navy history were extended Thursday night as the Navy swimming and diving teams posted a pair of victories over Army at Crandall Pool in West Point, N.Y. The final women’s score had Navy winning by the count of 194-106, while the Navy men posted a 199-101 victory.

Navy’s women’s team has now defeated its counterparts from Army 26-consecutive times, while the Mids have won the men’s meet in each of the last 24 meetings between the programs.

Navy totaled victories in 24 events of the 32 events, placed at least first and second in 16 events and finished 1-2-3 in nine of the 28 individual events. The Mids also combined to tie or set four meet records, break three Crandall Pool records – including a 42-year old mark set by Mark Spitz – and tie one school record.

“I was very impressed with both Army and Navy tonight,” said Navy men’s swimming head coach Bill Roberts. “You could see everyone came into the meet with a purpose and applying all of the work they had put into this meet for the past several months.

“It was fun to watch.”

“I’m really proud of the team for their effort this evening,” said Navy women’s swimming head coach John Morrison. “They really challenged themselves to go on the road and get the victory.”

Navy’s men’s team started the night by winning the first four events. After placing placed first and second in the 200 medley relay, the Mids finished in first, second and third place in both the 1000 free and 200 free before claiming the top two spots in the 100 backstroke.

The Mids won the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:28.26, Alex Nickell won the 1000 free in a time of 9:08.45, Noah Martin followed with the victory in the 200 free with his posting of 1:36.97 and Joe Lane completed the run of four wins with a winning time of 48.77 in the 100 back.

That start gave the Mids a commanding 62-12 advantage.

“We knew the relay was going to be a tough, close race,” said Roberts. “It was great to see out two teams get into a race with each other.”

The women’s portion of the meet saw Army win the 200 medley relay, with Navy bouncing back to place first, second and third in the 1000 free, first and second in the 200 free and second, third and fourth in the 100 backstroke.

The Black Knights posted a time of 1:42.31 to edge the Mids by four-tenths of a second in the relay, Jenny Smith followed with a 16-second win in the 1000 free thanks to her clocking of 9:46.40, and Charlotte Meyer won the 200 free in a new meet record time of 1:49.03 (1:49.13, Meyer, 2013). Biz Graeff then was out-touched by Kelly Hamilton by four-hundredths of a second for the victory in the 100 back.

Those results led to the Mids building a 46-28 cushion. That lead would soon grow to 72-40 after Navy won the ensuing two events, the 100 breaststroke and the 200 butterfly. Ellen Bradford recorded a time of 1:02.51 to win the former event, with Rachael Dudley clocking in with a 2:01.93 to win the latter.

Army cut into the margin at the midpoint of the meet as it placed first and second in the 50 free and won the three-meter diving.

Altogether, Navy started the second half of the evening with an 85-65 advantage.

It was a far more comfortable lead for the Navy men as they took a 101-49 lead into the second half of the meet. Navy’s three-race winning streak was stopped in the 100 breaststroke, but the Mids picked up back-to-back victories in the 200 fly and 50 free prior to the Black Knights earning the win in the one-meter springboard event. Jonathan Debaugh posted a time of 1:45.89 to win the 200 fly, with Dain Bomberger following with the victory in the 50 free with a time of 20.18.

Army began the second half of the men’s meet with another win, the 100 free, but Navy rattled off four-consecutive victories to give the Mids an insurmountable 166-79 lead with three events to go. Joe Lane started Navy’s streak by winning the 200 back in a time of 1:46.60, Marlin Brutkiewicz followed by winning the 200 breast with a new Crandall Pool record time of 1:58.74 (1:59.63, Grant, Harvard, 1987), then Tom Duvall led a 1-2-3 Navy finish in the 500 free with a victorious time of 4:21.97.

Debaugh then stepped up to the blocks for the 100 fly. He would be the first to touch the wall at the end of the race in a time of 47.66, which broke the pool record of 47.98 established by Spitz in a 1976 visit by the USA Swimming Team just prior to its heading to the Olympics. Also falling was the meet record of 48.33 set by Army’s Seth Rogan who placed fifth in tonight’s race.

“It was pretty cool,” said Roberts of Debaugh’s record setting time. “One of the meet officials was actually here when Spitz set the record, so he wanted to make sure he had the chance to personally congratulate and shake hands with Debaugh.”

The Navy women’s team couldn’t have asked for a better start to the second half of the meet as the Mids placed first, second and third in the 100 free and 200 back before claiming first and third places in the 200 breast and 500 freestyle races. Maddi Thompson opened the stanza with a time of 50.63 to win the 100 free, Meyer followed with a time of 1:58.98 to win the 200 back and tie her own school and meet record and break the pool record, Bradford made it three wins in a row with her clocking of 2:14.50 to claim the 200 breast and Smith picked up yet another win with her time of 4:51.53 in the 500 free. Smith’s time broke the meet record of 4:53.51 set two years ago by teammate Ange Sawick.

Though the Mids would place third, fourth and fifth in the 100 fly, that 62-37 run to open the second half of the meet still built a 147-98 advantage for themselves heading into the final three events of the meet.

“The two big moments of the night took place after the opening relay and at the start of the second half of the meet,” said Morrison. “Army had the energy, the momentum and crowd going for them, but we were able to turn the tide back very quickly both times. The very next events in each segment changed everything.

“You never know how a freshman is going to respond in this meet, but Jenny really responded and performed well. She really stepped up to the challenges.

Julie Jesse recorded the lone win of the night for the Navy divers as her score of 260.62 led a 1-2-3 finish for the Mids on the one-meter board, Meyer closed the individual event portion of the women’s meet with a win in the 200 IM thanks to her time of 2:01.95, then Navy finished first and second in the 400 freestyle relay.

Navy’s men’s team concluded its proceedings by placing second on the three-meter board, seeing Young Tae Seo win the 200 IM in a time of 1:49.28 and emerge victorious by nearly two-tenths of a second in the 400 free relay.

Army Women’s Press Release

The Army women’s swim and dive team started off the dual-meet with service academy rival Navy on a high note after claiming the best time in the 200 medley relay. Kelly Hamilton, Collin Kessinger, Haileigh Phillips and Molly Mucciarone combined for a 1:42.31. The Black Knights lost to the Midshipmen 194-106 Thursday evening at Crandall Pool.

“We had some very goods swims starting with the medley relay,” said head coach Mickey Wender. “We are disappointed in the outcome, but we’ve learned a tremendous amount about ourselves as a team and now know adjustments that need to be made. This meet is a checkpoint and to let us see where we are at a quarter into the season. It is a stepping stone to help us be the best when it matters the most, at the conference championship. We had higher expectations, but I’m very proud of this group of cadet-athletes and I’m proud to be their coach.”

In the individual events Collin Kessinger set three new records. Collin Kessinger broke Academy and Plebe standards in the 200 breast with a time of 2:17.41, shattering the previous plebe record of 2:21.25 set by Colleen Criscillo in 1988.

Hamilton won the 100 backstroke after finishing in 56.22, a career-best. Kessinger set another Academy record after touching the wall in 1:03.44 in the 100 breast.

Army Men’s Press Release

The Army men’s swim and dive team competed in a dual-meet against Navy Thursday night at Crandall Pool. The dual-meet was highlighted by first place finishes by Colin Kanzari and Chris Szekely, while Sean Regan set a new standard in the 200 fly.

Sean Regan recorded an Academy Record in the 200 fly with a time of 1:46.79, while Colin Kanzari clocked a first-place finish in the 100 breast (54.89).

Chris Szekely finished first in the 100 free with a time of 44.30.

In the last event of the night Army had a hard fought battle for a 2:59.71 finish in the 400 freestyle relay. Together, Szekely, Adam Sjoholm, Tyler Sowell and Evin Rude recorded a second place finish.

Jonathan Debaugh had a standout performance in the 100 fly for Navy as he set a new Crandall Pool record, which was previously set by nine-time gold medalist Mark Spitz at the 1972 NCAA Championships.

In the diving segment Josh Urnezis claimed the top score in the 1-meter (291.52) and in the 3-meter (309.10), a season-best. Edward Emery was Army’s second-best finisher in the 1-meter with a score of 223.42, while Seth Nordell competed for a 225.82 in the 3-meter.

The Mids now hold a 47-29 lead in the all-time series.

Prior to competing in the 2015 portion of the schedule, the Black Knights will spend part of their winter break training at Fort Buchanan in Puerto Rico. Army returns to action on Jan. 9, 2015 when it visits Patriot League foe, Lehigh.

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Old John

9 years ago

Spitz’s record was set in 1972, at NCAA’s, and stood as an American record for five years until Joe Bottom broke it in 1977. (By 1976 Spitz had been retired for four years.)