YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — IUP swimming closed out the YSU Invite with one of its strongest collective performances of the three-day meet Saturday, stacking up top-five finishes and showcasing depth in multiple events as both the men's and women's teams secured runner-up finishes.
The distance group delivered early momentum for the Crimson Hawks. In the women's 1650-yard freestyle, Benedetta Bellini led the way with a fourth-place finish in 18:09.37. Avital Flaishman followed in fifth, while Bella Rhoades, Becca Ramos and Brenna Bonnett also placed inside the top nine, giving IUP five scorers in the event.
On the men's side of the 1650, Ty Uhlig turned in one of the highlight swims of the day, grabbing third in 16:14.52 and closing strong over the final 200 yards. James Taylor added a ninth-place finish to bolster the Hawks' distance scoring.
IUP shined in the backstroke finals, where the women claimed four of the top eight spots in the 200 back. Lilly Farmer placed second in 2:06.04, and Summer Esson took third shortly behind her. Jordan Crupie and Julie Zaffiro added sixth- and eighth-place times. The men's 200 back followed with another standout pairing, as Alexander Roth finished second in 1:51.31 and Uhlig added a third-place 1:52.99.
The breaststroke group kept the momentum with three top-six finishes in the women's 200 breaststroke. Kyla Kramer led the charge in second place at 2:21.42, with Catrina Miller fifth and Tina Cudina sixth. Freshman Zoe Welsh added a ninth-place finish in the B final, and Ellie Speer placed 11th.
In the butterfly events, Gem Crittenden continued her strong weekend by placing third in the 200 fly at 2:03.93. Jensen Westrick and Bonnett added scoring efforts from the B final. On the men's side, Trent Powell posted a fourth-place finish in 1:54.58, while Jeffrey McArthur placed sixth.
The Hawks also found points in the sprint freestyle. Katie Crosscut finished sixth in the women's 100 free, and freshman Kaleese Jallow won the B final in 53.34. For the men, Stephen Goff posted a fourth-place mark in the 100 free, and teammates Nick Vaow, Rey Nunez and Riley Yute contributed additional scoring positions.
IUP closed the weekend with competitive relay efforts. The top women's 400 freestyle relay team placed fifth in 3:41.20, while two additional relay squads finished sixth and seventh. The men's A relay secured fourth in 3:13.17, with the B relay close behind in fifth.
At the conclusion of the meet, both IUP programs finished securely in second place in the team standings, trailing only host Youngstown State. The women compiled 1,023 points, while the men finished with 883.5.
IUP returns to action in December as the program continues its midseason progression toward championship preparation.
