Men’s And Women’s Swimming Compete At GNAC Championships
BOSTON, Mass. – The Simmons University women's swimming & diving team won its 15th straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championship, while Norwich University men's swimming & diving took home the men's championship title today at the Holmes Sports Center Natatorium on the campus of host Simmons in Boston, Mass.
The Sharks have now won 17 of the last 18 GNAC crowns. Simmons tallied 1196 points for the three-day meet to finish ahead of runner-up Regis (Mass.), which totaled 669 points in the meet that scored eight finalists and eight consolation finalists. University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) followed with 356.5 points, while Norwich registered 334 points. Husson University (287.5), Colby-Sawyer College (266), Saint Joseph's College (Maine) (241) and Elms College (211) rounded out the remaining field.
Norwich wins for the second consecutive year after the inaugural championship meet last season. Prior to that, the Cadets had won six GNAC Invitationals before the league gained the minimum number of members to sponsor a conference championship on the men's side. Norwich tallied 317 points to finish ahead of Regis' total of 171, while Husson placed third with 119 points. Elms scored 83 points, followed by Saint Joseph's (Maine) with 70. Saint Joseph (Conn.) tallied 61 points in its first season sponsoring a men's program, followed by Colby-Sawyer's tally of 18.
Sophomore Brittany North (Palmer, Mass.) placed in four events for Elms to score 55 points and rank 11th for the meet. She highlighted her meet effort with a pair of fourth place times and a fifth-place finish. North capped off an already amazing day by lowering her own school record in the 400 IM to 5:05.28.
Sophomore Eddie Capoldo (Brunswick, Maine) paced Elms during the weekend with four top-eight showings, including a second-place finish to contribute to 22 points for the ninth-most in the meet.
The Blazers are back in action on Thursday when they compete in the NEISDA Championship at MIT.
