Men's Swim Team Placed 3rd in the GNAC Championship @ Simmons College
The Elms College men's and women swimming team took part in the two day GNAC swimming and diving championships held this past weekend at Simmons College in Boston. The men placed 3rd overall lead by senior Nick Bergstrom's championship swims in the 50 free and 100 IM, while the women placed 8th.
Cricket Cavar was the first women to score for the Blazers as she placed 8th in the finals of the 500 free. Fellow first year Brittany North then placed 8th in the 200 IM a personal season best time of 2:29.70. In the 200 free senior Aislinn Carrier placed 12 in the finals with Cavar taking the 13th spot.
Two Blazers made the 200 backstroke finals, both recording season best times. North was 8th with a time of 2:26.10 while Amanda Rotberg was 16th in 2:55.40.
Cavar made her debut in the 1650 (the mile) with a great performance placing 7th overall with a time of 20:34.68. Carrier was 11h in the 50 breaststroke with a season best time of 36.43. North scored again for the Blazers placing 11th in the 100 backstroke with another season best swim in 1:08.57. Both Carrier and Cavar placed in the 100 free finals in 12th and 16th spots respectively.
The 50 backstroke had five Blazers in the finals. North lead the way placing 8th in a time of 31.75. Jacqueline Given was 11th followed by Amanda Rotberg in 14th, and first years Victoria Wanko in 15th and Hannah Bongiovanni in 16th.
In the women's relays the team of Rotberg, Julianne Gordon, North and Cavar placed 6th in the 400 Medley Relay, while the team of Rotberg, Gordon, Wanko and Given placed 8th in the 200 Medley Relay. In the 400 free relay, Carrier lead off with a lifetime best time of 59.67 helping her teammates Gordon, Cavar and North to a 4th place finish.
On the men's side Bergstrom lead a one two finish with teammate Michael Grippo in the 50 free. Both recorded lifetime best times in the event of 22.17 and 22.75 respectively. First year Eddie Capoldo then recorded a season best time of 1:57.17 to place 5th in the 200 free. Follow classmate Matt Nodell also had a season best swim in the event placing 8th in 2:02.83
Bergstrom and Capoldo recorded season best times in the 50 butterfly placing 3rd and 5th in 24.39 and 25.47 respectively. The duo also had the same placing in the 50 breastroke, both once again recording lifetime best times in 29.17 and 30.95. Josh Guntly then continuing the scoring for the Blazers by placing 8th in the 200 backstroke.
Grippo, fighting illness, placed well in the 100 free (7th), 100 back (4th) and the 50 back (3rd).
Guntly was also 6th in the 50 back. Patrick Gay added to the men's scoring by placing 8th in the tough 200 fly event.
Bergstrom claimed his second championship title winning the 100 IM in convincing fashion leading from start to finish with a time of 57.13. Capoldo was 5th in 1:00.54.
The men's team of Grippo, Bergstrom, Capoldo and Nodell took 2nd in the 400 Medley Relay and the same foursome took 3rd in the 400 free relay. Rounding out the scoring for the men was the relay team of Guntly, Gay, Tony Luciani and first year Robert Culhane with a 6th place in the 200 Medley and free relays.
Coach Tyler noted that he was impressed by the across the board improvement that the swimmers showed during the meet.
