The men’s and women’s swimming teams are gearing up for the MAAC Championships, which will take place on Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. in Buffalo, NY.
The women kicked off their season with a victory against Saint Peter’s on Saturday, Jan. 21, finishing ahead of the Peacocks in 11 of the 13 events. It was the second season in a row in which the women defeated Saint Peter’s.
“It was exciting to see the women’s team get their first win of the season,” Monmouth Head Coach Matt Nunnally said. “Coming off of winter training is always a challenge. The team raced well and is heading in the right direction with the MAAC Championships only a few weeks away.”
While the men fell to Saint Peter’s, they did claim the top three spots in the men’s 50-yard freestyle. Sophomore Billy Lyons, junior Michael Lanigan and freshman Frank Nicola finished in that order.
The top women’s performer this season has been Junior Anne Skimmons, who was victorious in the women’s 200-yard IM also won the 100-yard butterfly against Sacred Heart on Friday, Jan. 27.
“[There were] strong performances by Anne Skimmons today in both of her individual events and the medley relay,” Nunnally said. “It was good to see the team trending in the right direction and the outlook is positive heading towards the MAAC Championships.”
Another junior has paced the men heading into the conference championships in Mitch Simmer, who won the 100-yard butterfly against New Jersey Institute of Technology on Saturday, Jan. 28.
This is the second year for both swimming programs after they were revitalized last year after a 32-year hiatus. Both teams finished ninth in 2016 and were also picked to finish ninth in the preseason coaches’ poll.
