DAY 3 RESULTS
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Liberty League Swimming and Diving Championships continued Friday at the Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium on the campus of Ithaca College with six men's events and five women's events.
DAY 3 TEAM SCORES:
MEN: 1. Ithaca 1294; 2. RIT 1206.5; 3. RPI 812; 4. Clarkson 781.5; 5. Union 508; 6. Skidmore 461; 7. Vassar 396; 8. Hobart 234; 9. St. Lawrence 232; 10. Bard 126.
WOMEN: 1. Ithaca 1259; 2. RPI 1000.5; 3. Skidmore 750.5; 4. RIT 662.5; 5. Vassar 646.5; 6. Union 397; 7. Clarkson 280; 8. St. Lawrence 301; 9. William Smith 280; 10. Bard 106.
Highlights from Friday's championship action:
MEN
- Ithaca (1,294 points) maintained a 87.5-point lead over second-place RIT (1,206.5). The Bombers are seeking their first Liberty League men's swimming and diving title, while the Tigers are seeking their fifth straight championship.
- The RIT 200-yard medley relay squad, consisting of first-year Griffin Messenlehner, sophomore Jackson Frazier, junior Kamden Keye,s and sophomore Finn Hilliard captured the event in 1:29.88. The Tigers trailed Ithaca heading into the final freestyle leg of the event, but Hilliard rallied as RIT finished just under a tenth of a second ahead of Ithaca (1:29.96)
- Ithaca sophomore James Moore was victorious in the 200-yard butterfly, winning the event in 1:51.10. Moore was one of four swimmers to finish in under 1:52. Runner-up Kamden Keyes of RIT touched the wall in 1:51.32.
- RIT first-year Griffin Messenlehner captured the 100-yard backstroke in an NCAA B-cut time of 48.98. Messenlehner defeated RPI junior Jason Weller by nearly a second (49.82).
- The strong performances from RIT first-year swimmers continued in the 100-yard breaststroke as Griffin Tomsheck earned his first league title, finishing in 55.49. Tomsheck was locked in a tight race with Union first-year Troy Luley (55.91), but extended his lead over the final 50 yards.
- RIT junior diver Luke Albanese was victorious on the 1-meter board, scoring 566.90 in the finals. Albanese, who posted a score of 527.50 in the prelims, won by 52.45 points over Ithaca senior Kian Long.
- Ithaca closed the evening by capturing the 800-yard freestyle relay. The Bomber relay squad, consisting of sophomore Bennett Molitor-Kirsch, first-year Ben Lajoie, sophomore Kyle Kruppa, and senior Ryan Cook,e recorded a winning time of 6:45.09. Ithaca led from the opening leg and never relinquished the lead in holding off runner-up RIT (6:48.37).
WOMEN
- Ithaca (1,259 points) extended its lead ot 258.5 points over second-place RPI (1,000.5) as the Bombers set their sights on their seventh straight Liberty League title.
- The Ithaca 200-yard medley relay team, consisting of senior Elke Beaumont, sophomore Sydney Koehler, junior Kathleen Papierni,k and junior Spencer Carroll, recorded an NCAA B-cut time of 1:43.95, good for a victory of more than two seconds over runner-up Skidmore (1:46.16).
- Ithaca sophomore Elizabeth Bodie won the 200-yard butterfly in 2:05.55. The top qualifier in the prelims, Bodie cruised to the win by more than two seconds over runner-up Vivien Li (2:07.86) of Vassar.
- Ithaca senior Elke Beaumont, one of three Ithaca swimmers in the 100-yard backstroke final, topped the field with a time of 57.41. Beaumont was one of four swimmers to finish in under 28 seconds. RPI junior Caroline Steeves was second in 57.72.
- Ithaca also received a first-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke from sophomore Sydney Kohler, who finished in 1:05.15. Kohler was one of three Bombers among the top four finishers. Ithaca senior Emma Kidd was second in 1:06.33.
- Ithaca completed a sweep of the evening finals by winning the 800-yard freestyle relay. The squad, consisting of senior Naomi Fry, sophomore Sydney Koehler, first-year Charlotte Barton, and junior Samantha Bender, finished in 7:41.63, good for a two-second victory over Skidmore (7:43.91).