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Navy Takes Patriot Leads

Navy won four of the five events that were held during the first day of action at the Patriot League Swimming & Diving Championships on Wednesday night. Competing at Bucknell’s Kinney Natatorium, the men’s team accrued 120 points to sit atop the standings, while the women’s team went two-for-two with two school records for 80 total points and a first-place ranking in the standings.

“We had an excellent first night of action,” remarked women’s swimming head coach John Morrison. “Both relays were outstanding and gave us a fantastic start to this championship week.”

“We competed well in both relays tonight, but we left some time out there in the 200 and that was a little disappointing,” said men’s swimming head coach Bill Roberts. “I was proud of the way we came back later and the great intensity that we showed in the 800 to close the night.”

The women began their two-race evening with a strong performance in the 200-yd medley relay. The quartet of Biz Graeff (Fr., Canton, Ohio), Hanna Gillcrist (So., Burlington, Ky.), Kenzie Margroum (So., Fort Thomas, Ky.) and Maddi Thompson (Jr., Jersey Shore, Pa.) registered a school record time of 1:41.37 in the event win. The previous Navy record was 1:41.71, set in 2011 at the Army-Navy meet. The Mids foursome finished 1.14 seconds ahead of the Bucknell squad that came in second.

The men’s 200-yd medley relay was up next at Kinney. Coming in with the top seed time, the Mids were upset by Army in the finals by 0.53 seconds at 1:28.12 to 1:28.65. After sitting in a tie for third after the backstroke leg, Navy responded with the fastest times in the breaststroke and butterfly to nearly pull even with Army, but the Black Knights won the freestyle leg and subsequently the event. Navy’s 200-yd medley relay team on Wednesday consisted of David Carlson (Jr., Brielle, N.J.), Marlin Brutkiewicz (So., Mobile, Ala.), Jonathan DeBaugh (Jr., Conroe, Texas) and Dain Bomberger (Sr., Lititz, Pa.).

“We were all a little disappointed with the result in the 200,” remarked Roberts. “We were hoping for more and aimed to come out stronger, but it’s a championship so anything is possible and any event can go any different direction.”

The championship moved to the diving well next for men’s three-meter board. The Navy trio of Nate Belch (Fr., Tucson, Ariz.), Joe Esposito (Sr., Langhorne, Pa.) and Frank Love (Jr., Atlanta, Ga.) earned the Mids 46 team points. Belch led the way as the freshmen won the event and outscored the field by 49.55 points with a grand total of 334.10. Esposito finished runner-up to his teammate with a six-dive total of 283.65 points. In consolation final action, Love finished in first with a score of 259.70.

“It was really impressive that Nate and Joe recreated their performance from the prelims,” said Navy diving coach Rich MacDonald. “To finish the prelims ranked first and second and then come back in the evening session and deal with that pressure was big. Nate winning as a freshman and Joe finishing in second in his first career final was really great.”

In the women’s 800-yard freestyle relay, the Mids’ foursome of Magroum, Jenny Smith (Fr., Columbus, Ohio), Charlotte Meyer (So., Bethesda, Md.) and Thompson set down a scorching 7:16.72 time that broke the Patriot League overall and championship records, as well, as the Navy program and Kinney Pool records. Behind Margroum’s opening leg of 1:48.72, the Mids led wire-to-wire and clocked in 3.59 seconds ahead of runner-up Lehigh and 7.85 ahead of third-place Boston University.

“Kenzie [Margroum] and Maddi [Thompson] raced on both relays and did a great job,” said Morrison. “Kenzie started the 800 for us and swam a personal best by over two seconds. That really set the tone and helped us break the 7:20-mark that we’ve been shooting to get under for five years now; that’s a big milestone for us.”

The Navy men recreated the women’s dominant performance with a league, championship, school and pool record in the 800-yd freestyle relay. The quartet of Thomas Duvall (Jr., Durham, N.H.), Alex Nickell (Jr., Loveland, Colo.), Noah Martin (Jr., Phoenix, Ariz.) and Riley Mita (Sr., Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) led from the beginning and outpaced the field by 7.05 seconds with its first-place result at 6:28.20. Duvall recorded an opening 200 with a time of 1:35.20, 2.81 seconds ahead of the next fastest competitor. Boston University finished the race in second place at 6:35.25; Bucknell was right behind the Terriers at 6:35.98. Navy’s previous school record in the 800 was 6:28.62.

“We really bounced back in this race,” remarked Roberts. “The 800 was very exciting from start to finish. Thomas [Duvall] gave us a significant lead and we were chasing the record on each leg. The intensity was there with each and every stroke.”

In the overall standings, the men lead Bucknell by 27 points, 120 to 93. The rest of the top five in the men’s competition consist of Army in third at 91, Boston in fourth at 88 and Loyola in fifth at 78.

In the women’s side, Navy leads Lehigh by 14 points, 80 to 66. The Mountain Hawks lead a tight group of teams that are ranked between second and sixth place. Bucknell (62), Boston (60), Colgate (56) and Army (56) round out Wednesday’s top scoring teams.  

“Looking ahead, we’re excited for the next three days,” said Roberts. “We’ve worked hard all year and now is our opportunity to chase our goals and a championship.”

The championship continues the next three days with swimming trials at 10:30 a.m., diving trials at 1 p.m. and finals at 6 p.m. Links to free live video and live results can be found at NavySports.com.

Women’s Standings
1. Navy – 80
2. Lehigh – 66
3. Bucknell – 62
4. Boston – 60
5. Colgate – 56
   Army – 56
7. American – 46
8. Lafayette – 40
9. Holy Cross – 32
10. Loyola - 24

Men’s Standings
1. Navy – 120
2. Bucknell – 93
3. Army – 91
4. Boston – 88
5. Loyola – 78
6. Lehigh – 57
7. Lafayette – 48
8. Holy Cross – 36
9. Colgate – 26
10. American - 22

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