Wagner College Tops Record-Breaking Night at Northeast Conference Champs

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, February 19. NIGHT one of the 2014 Northeast Conference Swimming and Diving Championship was full of excitement thanks to a record-breaking performance and a chase in the final lap for a come-from-behind win in relay action.

Wagner takes the top spot heading into day 2 with 74 points, while defending champion Saint Francis U is second with 70. Bryant and Central Connecticut follow in third and fourth with 66 and 62 points respectively. Mount St. Mary’s holds the fifth slot with 56, while Sacred Heart comes in with 52 points and St. Francis Brooklyn, 48.

The Red Flash took it’s fifth-consecutive title in the 200 Yard Medly Relay. The team of Becky Peer (Chelsea, Canada/Philemon Wright), Catherine Rogers (Nokesville, VA/Seton School), Libby Francis (Dundee, Scotland/Grove Academy) and Danyel Johnson (Dansville, NY/Dansville) broke its own NEC record with a time of 1:42.47. Wagner broke its first program record of the meet, taking the silver with a time of 1:47.15. The Seahawk squad of Anu Nihipali (Honolulu, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy), Katja Claesson (Fullerton, CA/Troy), Sam Sides (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) and Meredith Ketchmark (Plainsboro,NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro) shattered their record by three seconds. Bryant earned its spot on the podium with a 1:43.92 performance from Elisabeth Schauer (Pelham, NY/Pelham Memorial), Ali Morreale (Short Hills, NJ/Millburn), Dana Yu (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) and Taylor DeBever (Denver, CO/Regis Jesuit).

The Seahawks dethroned the defending 800 Freestyle Relay champions, Bryant University. Highlighted by the final leg raced by senior Meredith Ketchmark (Plainsboro,NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro), Wagner overtook the Bulldogs in the last lap. Ketchmark, Sarah Menendez (Export, PA/PA Cyber), Grace Baird (Lexington, NC/West Davidson) and Alexandra Cooney (Port Jervis, NY/Minisink Valley) set another Wagner program record with a time of 7:28.38.

The Bulldog quartet of Erin Daly, Taylor DeBever (Denver, CO/Regis Jesuit), Meghan Claflin (Newburyport, MA/Newburyport) and Kaitlin Buckley (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) took second in 7:29.80. Central Connecticut’s Kellen Power (San Jose, CA/Valley Christian), Lisa Ward (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull), Kathryn Kiely (Shelton, CT/Shelton) and Christine Rasile (Branford, CT/Branford) earned the bronze with a time of 7:31.33.

The 2014 NEC Swimming and Diving Championships will resume tomorrow at 11:00 AM.

Team Results After Day One

1. Wagner College – 74
2. Saint Francis U – 70
3. Bryant – 66
4. Central Connecticut – 62
5. Mount St. Mary’s – 56
6. Sacred Heart – 52
7. St. Francis Brooklyn – 48

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World. To reach our audience, contact us at newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com.

Results For: Northeast Conference: Day One

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x