Marist Takes Home MAAC Title

BALTIOMORE, Maryland, February 10. THE Marist Women's Swimming and Diving team captured its fourth straight MAAC Title on Saturday night, while the men's team captured its third straight title. The Foxes paced the field with a point total of 899 points on the women's side and 797 on the men's.

Walsh-Thomas opened Saturday's action by winning the 1,650-yard freestyle in a school record time of 17:28.40. Emily Hammang (Barrington, R.I.) finished in second place for the Foxes, posting a finishing time of 17:36.06. Catherine Hartford (Merrick, N.Y.) and Jennifer Silva (Seekonk, Mass.) also had strong swims for Marist, finishing in 10th and 13th place, respectively.

In the 200-yard backstroke, Falco again won in a MAAC record time of 2:03.08. She was one of three Marist swimmers that placed in the top seven, with Ashley Papuga (Branford, Conn.) and Alyssa Hewitt (Pittsfield, Mass.) finishing in second and seventh place. Papuga and Hewitt posted times of 2:09.42 and 2:11.32, respectively.

Kim Koehler (Narragansett, R.I.) was Marist's top finisher in the 100-yard freestyle, placing third with a time of 54.02 seconds. Fellow senior Victoria Fresolone (East Setauket, N.Y.) finished 14th in the event, showing a time of 55.78 seconds.

The Red Foxes would continue to extend their lead when Lauren Malski (Trumbull, Conn.) bested the field in the 200-yard breaststroke in a time of 2:20.27. Sophomore Savannah Puca (Huntington, N.Y.) followed in second place with a time of 2:29.07, with Cindy Spiecker (Warrington, Pa.) placing eighth in 2:35.30.

In the 200-yard butterfly Marist placed four swimmers in the top eight. Lyndsay Martin (Schenectady, N.Y.) led the way with a second place finish in a time of 2:08.45. Sandra Bujalski (Thomaston, Conn.), Kelsea Fortner (Mystic, Conn.) and Victoria Kemp (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) followed in third, sixth and seventh, respectively. Senior captain Lindsay Marotto (South Windsor, Conn.) also had a strong showing with a 14th place finish for the Foxes.

In diving action, Melissa Mangona (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) won the three-meter event for Marist with a score of 432.70. She was followed by Anna Sanner (Somerset, Pa.) in third and Rachel Cuyler (Mansfield, Conn.) in eighth place.

The Red Foxes would close out the championships with a first place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The quartet of Falco, Walsh-Thomas, Bujalski and Koehler finished with a time of 3:32.35. Falco's leg in the race of 52.24 is a new conference record.

Following the meet Falco was named the events Most Outstanding Performer, while Mangona received Most Outstanding Diver honors. Director of Swimming Larry J. VanWagner was named 2006-07 MAAC Women's Coach of the Year.

On the men's side, Marist continued to be consistent at the championships, as it started off Saturday's final session by taking second and third place in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Ralph Rienzo (Wallingford, Conn.) swam to second place in a time of 16:09.54, with Spencer Hartmann (Windsor, Conn.) taking the third position in 16:33.51. Greg Pfeifer (Middle Village, N.Y.) contributed a 14th place finish in the event for the Foxes.

Marist would go on to take second, third and fifth place in the 200-backstroke on Saturday. Dan Garaffa (Manchester, Conn.) led the way with a second place finish in 1:52.18, with Brandon Youse (Boyertown, Pa.) and Luke Johnson (Pensacola, Fla.) placing third and fifth with times of 1:53.54 and 1:55.84, respectively.

Collins picked up the win in the 100-yard freestyle on Saturday, posting a winning time of 45.70 seconds. Will Shearouse (Milford, N.H.) followed Collins in fifth place in the 100 free, touching out with a time of 47.94 seconds.

The Foxes would continue to pull away from the field with a second place finish by Jablonski in the 200-yard breaststroke. Jablonski's time of 2:04.60 marks a new school record at Marist.

In the 200-yard butterfly, Nick Chevalier (Milford, N.H.) placed third for the Foxes, posting a time of 1:54.90. He was followed by Mark Esolen (Archbald, Pa.) in fifth and Kevin Quinn (Neponsit, N.Y.) in 11th.

In diving, Devon O'Nalty (East Hartford, Conn.) placed second on the one-meter board to lead Marist. The Foxes went on to place four in the op seven, including Mitchell Katz (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) in fourth, Jesus Santos (Haverstraw, N.Y.) in fifth and John Luboja (New York, N.Y.) in seventh.

In the final event of the championships the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Collins, Shearouse, Rienzo and Jablonski placed first in a time of 3:06.37.
With the victory, Marist collects its third straight MAAC Championship.

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