Rider, Marist Well On Way to MAAC Championship Titles

Photo Courtesy: Rider Athletics

The ten Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference teams finished the third day of the 2016 Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Both the men’s and women’s standings experienced changes throughout the fifteen event session.

The Rider men scored over 250 points today and currently lead with a score of 625, while second-place Marist now sits at 395.5 points. Bryant University is still in third with 353 points, followed by Iona College (299), Canisius College (267), Niagara University (242), Manhattan College (156.5), Fairfield University (152) and Monmouth University (72).

The Rider Broncs continued their streak with four first place finishes. Freshman Luke Musselman had a successful start after winning the 400-yard IM. He was the only competitor to break four minutes, posting a time of 3:57.83. Teammate Matthan-Matthew Martir won his second individual event in the 100-yard butterfly. He took down a seven-year-old MAAC record by posting a time of 48.50. Brothers Zachary Molloy and William Molloy (1:37.42) went on to finish 1, 2 in the 200-yard freestyle. Sophomore Zachary Molloy defended his title and broke his own MAAC record. His time of 1:36.87 was good enough for an NCAA ‘B’ cut. The Rider men continued their winning streak in the 400-yard medley relay. Their MAAC record breaking time of 3:17.72 marks their fourth relay victory of the meet.

The Bryant Bulldogs also had a successful day, winning a pair of gold medals. Benjamin Schulte won his second individual event and defended his 2015 title in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 54.33. Sophomore Colin Curtin won the last individual event of the night, posting a time of 49.88 in the 100-yard backstroke.

On the women’s side, Marist has tallied 662 points, while Rider stands in second place with 385. Canisius College is in third with 373 points, followed by Iona College (318), Siena College (302), Fairfield University (263), Niagara University (184), Manhattan College (131), and Monmouth University (79).

The Marist women continued to dominate the competition, winning five events. Sara Nestrowitz led the way with a time of 10:17.65 as the Red Foxes secured the top four spots in the 1,000-yard freestyle. Daniela Gomez was the top finisher in the 400-yard IM, dropping almost six seconds from preliminaries to post a time of 4:23.33. The 200-yard freestyle proved to be a repeat of last year as Meredith Wurtz and Rebecca Anthone battled for first place. Wurtz secured her second individual victory, posting a time of 1:51.88. Junior Isabella Morreale defended her title in the 100-yard breaststroke. Her time of 1:02.94 was almost two seconds faster than the second place finisher. The Red Foxes ended the night with a victory in the 400 medley relay. Their time of 3:47.35 secured their third relay win of the week.

A member of the Niagara women’s team claimed first place in the 100-yard butterfly for the third consecutive year. This year it was sophomore Julia Casolo who touched first in 57.35. Rider’s Taylor Stalnaker paddled to victory in the 100-yard backstroke, lowering her preliminary time to 56.17.

MAAC contributed this report.

Men’s Scores			Women’s Scores
1.	Rider	625	1.	Marist	662
2.	Marist	395.5	2.	Rider	385
3.	Bryant	353	3.	Canisius	373
4.	Iona	299	4.	Iona	318
5.	Canisius	267	5.	Siena	302
6.	Niagara	242	6.	Fairfield	263
7.	Manhattan	156.5	7.	Niagara	184
8.	Fairfield	152	8.	Manhattan	131
9.	Monmouth	72	9.	Monmouth	79

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