By Dan DiLizia, Staff Writer
The Susquehanna men’s swim team notched top three finishes in seven events against Gettysburg on Nov. 9 on the Bullets’ home turf. Yet, it was not enough to come out victorious in their second dual meet this season, as Susquehanna dropped a 156-49 non-conference score to the Bullets.
Sophomore Eric Towse was a powerhouse during the backstroke, winning the 100-meter with a time of 53.29.
Freshman Andre Fissella was the team’s frontrunner for the butterfly, claiming second in the 100-meter with a time of 53.76.
The River Hawks held their ground during the 200-meter freestyle relay with a second place finish of 1:34.29, with a four-man team comprised of freshman John Imburgia, sophomore Conor McManus, freshman Jayden Corrigan and junior Matthew Sundius.
During the 200-medley relay, Towse, senior Shane Sullivan, Fissella and senior David Grove landed a third-place finish with a time of 1:39.29.
Freshman Ryan Keagy stayed in the game during the 1,000-meter freestyle, placing third in 11:09.36.
Corrigan also placed third in the 500 freestyle in 5:15.36, while Sullivan claimed a third-place finish in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:01.42.
Towse placed fourth in the 200-meter freestyle with 1:49.57, while Corrigan also came in fourth in the 400 individual medley with 4:25.09.
“Even though we did not win the meet, Gettysburg is a great competitor and allowed the team to swim really well for where we are in the season,” Sullivan said. “I’m excited for what the rest of the season holds for the team.”
Grove placed fifth in two additional events: the 50 freestyle (23.14) and the 100 freestyle (52.38).
The women’s team also came up short in the Gettysburg dual meet, as the final score read 153-51 in favor of the Bullets. The women gave it their all, managing to rack up seven top-three finishes.
Freshman Haley Muth landed the top spot in the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 59:99 and came in third in the 100-meter breastroke with a time of 1:10.40.
Senior Caitlin Kelly kept the ball rolling by placing second in the 500-meter freestyle with 5:32.19, and sophomore Larisa Calvo also came in second place during the 1000-meter freestyle with a time of 11:31.69.
Muth, freshman Julie Adams, sophomore Sabrina Krotzer and junior Tori Weems worked together to place third in the 200-meter medley relay with a time of 1:54.91.
Senior Colleen Walsh proceeded to place third in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 5:11.80.
A team of four featuring freshman Lizzie Axler and Katie Mowery, along with junior Larissa MacDougall and sophomore Shannon McGoey grabbed a third-place finish during the 200-meter freestyle relay with a time of 1:52.79.
Weems notched a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter freestyle with 2:05.19, and junior Olivia Fravel also placed fourth in the 100-meter freestyle in 57.14.
Krotzer placed fifth in the 50-meter freestyle in 26.92, and junior Abby Condon had a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter backstroke in 1:03.52.
“The season is off to a really strong start,” senior Erin Wetmore said about the meet.
“We’re working hard and getting up to race, especially against a fast team like Gettysburg,” Wetmore continued.
The women’s team was selected to finish first in the Landmark Conference preseason poll, coming off of their ninth consecutive Landmark title and in search of their 10th victory.
The men’s team was selected to finish second in the conference, falling closely behind Catholic University.
Both the men’s and women’s teams will face off against Drew at 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 16 for a Landmark Conference meet at the Garrett Natatorium in Selinsgrove, Pa.
