YORK, Pa. – Senior
Nicole Smith (Dover, PA/Dover) won the 100 freestyle on the final day as the both IUP men's and women's swim teams finished in third place as the 2018 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships wrapped up Saturday.
Smith won with a time of 51.47 to post her fourth NCAA Division II B cut time of the weekend. She won the 200 free Thursday and also hit NCAA times in the 50 free and 500 free this week.
Both teams moved into third place on the second day and continued to tighten their hold on those positions each day. The men finished with 466.5 points, trailing champion West Chester (813 points) and second place Bloomsburg (610.5).
This is the fourth time in the last five years the IUP men have finished in the top three at the PSAC Championships.
Noah Brockway (York, PA/Dallastown) had the top IUP men's finish, coming in second in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:51.79.
Russell Oliver (Barbados/Kelly College) was 13th in the event at 1:57.82.
Six more men's swimmers tallied top 10 finishes Saturday, including
Shane Hallett (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs),
Hussain Alzaid (Kuwait/Kuwait), and
Gerard Morato (Barcelona, Spain) in the 200 breaststroke. Hallett was fifth at 2:05.86, Alzaid seventh at 2:06.98, and Morato 10th, at 2:08.86.
Robert Jones (Biglerville, PA/Biglerville) finished 13th in the 200 breast at 2:11.31.
Also finishing in the top 10 were
Lucas Bellier (Orléans, France),
Mace Long (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg Area), and
Nathan Dill () in the 1650 freestyle. Bellier was sixth at 16:23.57, Long was ninth at 16:50.12, and Dill 10th at 16:58.37.
It's also the fourth time since 2014 that the IUP women have finished in the top three at the conference meet, totaling 901 points. They trailed champion West Chester (1884) and second place Bloomsburg (1159).
Regan Chalk (Hanover, PA/New Oxford) posted a fifth place finish in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:04.69. She was joined in the event by
Jessica Cochran (Herminie, Pa./Yough) and
Anna Moffitt (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest), who finished in 16th (2:09.74) and 22nd (2:11.30), respectively.
Four scored in the 1650 freestyle, led by Gabby Gironda in 13th with a time of 17:58.08. Sophie Manges was 16th at 18:23.33,
Havannah Suarez (York, Pa./York Suburban) was 23rd at 18:52.02, and
Jordan Shoemaker (Richmond, Va./Cosby High School) was 24th at 18:53.22.
In the 200 breaststroke,
Paige McCullough (Warren, Pa./Warren Area) was 12th at 2:26.21,
Beatriz Gonzalez (Barcelona, Spain/Pane Manyanet) was 16th at 2:27.59, and Sarah Helton was 20th at 2:28.06.
Up next
The NCAA Division II Swimming Championships are scheduled for March 14-17 in Greensboro, N.C. Smith will be one of several Crimson Hawks with NCAA times awaiting word on possible selections.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP swimming on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPSwimming.
