Men’s Swimming placed second at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Winter Championships and the women’s team finished in seventh at the Nassau County Aquatics Center in East Meadow, NY last weekend.
Head Coach Matt Nunnally said that the program’s performance over the weekend was impressive. “The championship meet format is a good test for the team in advance of the MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) Championships. Swimming multiple events over several sessions helps with our preparation for February,” he said.
Freshman Callan Smith continued his dominant rookie season as he was named Swimmer of the Meet after winning three individual races with a record-setting time in each as well as being a part of a winning medley relay team.
Smith set new Monmouth records as he won both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke in respective times of 50.28 and 1:49.98. The freshman was also victorious in the 500-yard freestyle with a record-setting time of 4:32.33.
Though he came in second place, Smith set another Monmouth record of 1:40.46 in the 200-yard freestyle.
Men’s Swimming was victorious in the 400-yard medley relay as Smith, junior Austin D’Angelo, and freshmen Dylan Barkhuizen and Valance Washington finished in 3:26.39, a new record.
Smith, Barkhuizen, Washington, and freshman Kevin Del Giorno placed second in the 400-yard freestyle relay, setting a new team record in 3:08.26.
Monmouth took another second place finish in the 200-yard medley relay when Smith, D’Angelo, Barkhuizen, and sophomore Ethan Lucas combined in a record-setting 1:34.02.
The Hawks had another strong showing in the 800-yard freestyle relay as Smith, Barkhuizen, Washington, and sophomore Ryan Hohman finished in just under seven minutes at 6:59.32.
In a third place finish, Washington, Del Giorno, Barkhuizen, and Lucas finished the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:25.78, setting a new Monmouth record.
Washington earned two fourth place finishes in both the 50 and 100-yard freestyle, setting team records of 21.34 and 46.83 in the process.
Men’s Swimming’s second place finish is an improvement from their fifth place finish in last year’s ECAC Winter Championships.
Women’s Swimming ended the weekend in seventh place, a nine-place jump from their sixteenth place finish in 2017.
Freshman Camryn McHugh set three new Monmouth records at the meet as she finished third in both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke with times of 56.73 and 2:02.53, respectively. She also set a record of 56.76 in the 100-yard butterfly, where she finished fifth.
Though finishing seventh, Monmouth’s 800-yard freestyle relay team of McHugh, freshmen Sarah Brennan and Muriel Maloney, and sophomore Louise Barker set a team record time of 7:49.00.
Brennan’s 2:19.02 finish in the 200-yard butterfly and Barker’s time of 1:55.47 in the 200-yard freestyle both set new team records. Freshman Lauren Baines set a Monmouth record in the 400-yard IM with a time of 4:41.20.
In total, the Hawks set 18 new program records at the meet.
“Many season best times, personal best times and school records are the reward for the commitment the team has made to training during the fall,” said Nunnally. “The results will serve as a reminder to the team to continue working hard with the MAAC Championships in sight.”
Men’s and Women’s Swimming will have a month-long break from competition before kicking off the new year on Jan. 15, when they will travel to conference rivals Rider for a 5:00 p.m. meet.
PHOTO TAKEN by Karlee Sell
