The men's and women's Blue Wave competed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) swimming championships this past weekend. The men finished fourth out of 16 teams and the women finished fourth out of 14 teams. Both teams faced off against tough competition and performed well.
The men finished with 761 points, and placed first in two events. They had a strong showing overall, placing in the top five in a number of events.
Senior James Kallio captured a victory in the 200 yard breaststroke, beating the competition with a time of 2:11.86. Kallio was also victorious in the 100 yard breaststroke, finishing with a time of 59:16. Freshman James Valvo also swam well in the 200 yard breaststroke, placing sixth with a time of 2:15.62. Kallio combined with sophomore Sig Culhane, junior Travis Brennan, and freshman Dan Szajta to place fifth in the 800 yard freestyle relay with a total time of 7:25.97.
Brennan, Szajta, sophomore Clint Sugnet and freshman Greg Conklin had a strong second place finish in the 200 yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:26.09. Sophomore Charlie Hake placed third and senior John Zolna placed fifth in the 50 yard freestyle. Hake finished with a time of 21.36 and Zolna completed the race in 21.77. The team of Hake, Culhane, Zolna and senior Jerry Hinman placed fourth in the 400 yard freestyle relay, timed at 3:12.17. Kallio and Zolna combined with senior Phil Szrama and freshman Sean Kennedy to place fourth in the 400 yard medley relay in 3:36.60.
The women finished with 425 points, a mere three points behind third place College of New Jersey. Sophomore Jessie Cocco placed second in the 100 yard breaststroke with a time of 1:08.29. Cocco also finished third in the 200 yard breaststroke, completing the race in 2:28.93. Junior Justine Diaz placed third in the 1650 yard freestyle, finishing the demanding race in 18:18.79. Sophomore Lindsay Dressel and freshman Natalie Thorpe both had strong showings in the 400 yard individual medley. Dressel came in third with a time of 4:43.25 and Thorpe finished the race in 4:48.84 to place fourth.
The team of Thorpe, senior K.C. Monahan, junior Maren MacDonald, and freshman Katie Linehan combined to place fifth in the 800 yard freestyle relay, finishing with a total time of 8:19.43. Linehan, Cocco, MacDonald, and freshman Mae Lankes placed fourth in the 200 yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:41.89. Monahan also placed fifth in the 200 yard freestyle by finishing in 2:00.48. Linehan, Lankes, MacDonald and Thorpe swam to a fourth place finish in the 400 yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:43.29.
Both teams have over a month off before they face off against New Paltz in January.