Championship Central Page
YORK, Pa. (Women’s Swimming) – The Messiah Falcons won their third-straight Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) women’s swimming title with a dominating performance. The Falcons set the championship team point record with 832 points, and won 12 of 18 gold medals.
Messiah claimed 23 of the 54 medals, including 12 gold, seven silver and four bronze medals. The Falcons won gold in all five relay events. Messiah broke the team point total record that was set by Albright in 2005 (756 points).
Messiah’s junior Emily Reale was named the 2016 David B. Eavenson Award as the MAC Women’s Swimmer of the Year. Reale scored 60 points with three individual gold medals, and two NCAA provisional times. The junior won the 500-yard freestyle, 1,650 yard freestyle and 400-yard IM events. Reale was also part of the gold-medal winning 200-, 400-, and 800-yard freestyle relay teams, and the 400-yard medley relay team.
Messiah’s Cassie Cotton was named the 2016 MAC Women’s Swimming Rookie of the Year. Cotton finished fourth in the women’s individual standings with 50.5 points. The freshman earned two silver medals in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly events, and took bronze in the 50-yard freestyle. Cotton was also part of the gold-medal winning 200- and 800-yard freestyle relay teams, and the 200- and 400-yard medley relay teams.
Messiah’s head coach Nancy Luley was named the 2016 MAC Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year. It is Luley’s third-straight conference coach of the year award.
1,650-YARD FREESTYLE
Messiah’s Emily Reale won gold for the third-straight year in the distance race. The junior earned an NCAA “B” cut with a time of 17:30.36, bettering her previous MAC Championship fastest finals record of 17:42.72 set last year. Widener’s Alyssa Myers took second in a time of 17:58.52, and Arcadia’s Alyssa D’Esposito took third with a time of 18:00.60.
200-YARD BACKSTROKE
Widener’s Annie Walker won gold in a time of 2:12.04. Messiah’s Molly Martin took second in a time of 2:12.67, and teammate Joelle Williamson finished third in a time of 2:14.21.
100-YARD FREESTYLE
Messiah’ Katie Wingert won gold with an NCAA “B” cut time of 51.97 seconds. Wingert’s time is now the new championship finals fastest time. Messiah’s Tara Freeman took second in a time of 53.12 seconds, and Widener’s Christine Kunzler finished third in a time of 53.31 seconds.
200-YARD BREASTSTROKE
Arcadia’s Samantha Carpenter won gold with a time of 2:26.37. Carpenter defeated the two-time defending champion Dani Blass of Misericordia. Blass finished second in a time of 2:26.37. Widener’s Erin Neugebauer took third in a time of 2:28.78.
200-YARD BUTTERFLY
Lebanon Valley’s Jan Ikeda won gold for the second time in the 200-yard butterfly with an NCAA “B” cut time of 2:07.36. Ikeda also won the event in 2014. Messiah’s Cassie Cotton took second in a time of 2:10.60, and Widener’s Liz O’Sullivan took third in a time of 2:13.17.
400-YARD FREESTYLE RELAY
Messiah completes the sweep of relay gold with a title in the 400-yard freestyle relay in a new championship fastest finals time of 3:31.41. The Falcons swam in the following order, Brittany Pond, Tara Freeman, Emily Reale and Katie Wingert. Widener finished in second with a time of 3:37.09, and Misericordia was third in a time of 3:38.79.
Women’s Final Standings
1. Messiah, 832 points
2. Widener, 574 points
3. Misericordia, 379 points
4. Arcadia, 343 points
5. Hood, 263 points
6. Lycoming, 206 points
7. King’s, 191 points
8. Lebanon Valley, 179 points
9. Albright, 163 points
10. Stevenson, 155 points
11. Wilkes, 93 points
12. FDU-Florham, 76 points