2016 NEWMAC Championship Preview

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Photo Courtesy: MIT Athletics

By Chandler Brandes, Swimming World College Intern

The 2016 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championships will be held on Feb. 18-21 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Despite the graduation of some of their top scorers, MIT reloaded with a strong freshman class as the women look to win their sixth-consecutive NEWMAC title, while the men will seek their eighth-consecutive.

Full psych sheets available here: 2016 NEWMAC Psych Sheet – Results

Women’s Meet

MIT is seeded first in all five relays, and their impressive depth in each event will be hard to match. Veronika Jedryka has been one of MIT’s top performers this season, currently holding top times in the conference in five different events.

Mount Holyoke’s Cathleen Pruden, 2015 NEWMAC Swimmer of the Year, is the favorite to repeat as the champion in the 200 IM, 400 IM, and 1650, as she’s seeded first in all three by a considerable margin. She’ll look to rebreak her own meet and conference record in the 400 IM, and is getting closer to the 200 IM and 1650 records.

Springfield’s Emily Mederios will look to repeat as the 100 and 200 breaststroke champion, and will aim to rewrite her own 100 breast meet and conference record.

Wellesley’s Maura Sticco-Ivins, 2015 NEWMAC Diver of the Year, will seek to sweep both the 1m and 3m again this weekend, although Springfield’s Melanie Avdoulas and Smith’s Anna Partridge will challenge her.

Men’s Meet

Just like their women’s team, the MIT men are seeded first in all five relays and also have an enormous amount of depth in each event. MIT holds the top spots in every individual event in the conference, making them the sure favorite to repeat as the NEWMAC Champions.

MIT’s strong freshman class adds further depth to their team. Josh Graves leads the way for MIT in the distance events, while Brandon McKenzie has seen success in his freshman year in both IM and breaststroke events.

MIT’s Dougie Kogut, 2015 NEWMAC Co-Swimmer of the Year, will look to repeat as champion in the 100 fly, 200 fly, and 200 back. Sean Corcoran and Daryl Neubieser lead the way for MIT in the sprint events.

Andrew Bauer has consistently been a top performer for WPI’s in the sprint freestyle events, and will be a crucial component to their relays. His younger brother Jack Bauer should give WPI an edge in the 100 back and 100 fly.

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Kathleen rapp
Kathleen rapp
8 years ago

Congrats!!! Go Josh Graves….

Arleen Gallagher
Arleen Gallagher
8 years ago

Woo Hoo Josh Graves – way to crush it!! Congrats!

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