Men’s and women’s swimming compete in Conference Championship

Captain Ian Schrock and the men's and women's swimming teams competed this weekend (Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College Athletics)

Captain Ian Schrock and the men’s and women’s swimming teams competed this weekend (Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College Athletics)

By Candace Means, Staff Writer

This past weekend the Gettysburg College men’s and women’s swimming teams competed in the Centennial Conference Championship at Franklin & Marshall.

Over the four-day meet, several Gettysburg College records were broken by the women’s swim team.

Sophomore Kate Crilly was responsible for breaking two school records over the course of the weekend. First, she came in second in the 50m-freestyle with a time of 23.94, which broke a record from 2011. On the final day, Crilly finished second in the 100m-freestyle and erased a record from 2001.

Also contributing to the women’s strong performance was senior Savannah Llewellyn. She lowered her own school record in the 100m-backstroke, while claiming second place.

The Lady Bullets have five seniors this year who made an impact on the other swimmers on the team. Sophomore Karley Devine, who placed ninth in the 1,650 in the Centennial Conference Championship, reflected on her relationship with the seniors.

“The seniors have made a positive impact on me throughout the season by being motivators for me in my swimming and throughout life by helping answer questions, in or out of the pool,” Devine said.

The women’s swim team earned a total 532 points over the course of the weekend but fell short to first-place Ursinus College and second-place Swarthmore College. The Bullets ended their hard-fought season with a 7-3 record and an impressive 6-0 record at home.

The men’s team was able to bring home their fifteenth Centennial Conference Championship. After losing the title last year, the team was able to bring the title back in dominant fashion. The Bullets tallied up 759.5 points, which was 216 points over the second-place finisher, Swarthmore College.

Senior captain Tyler Dougherty regained his Most Outstanding Male Performer title from 2016, after breaking a meet and conference record in the 100m-breaststroke and capturing five first-place victories in this year’s Centennial Conference Championship.

Dougherty and Ian Schrock are the lone seniors on the team. They have had success in winning the championship in the past, but this one means a little bit more. In a post-conference meet interview from the Gettysburg website with Dougherty, he expressed his enthusiasm for regaining the Centennial Conference title.

“We were disappointed last year that we didn’t win, and it just feels great to have the title back in our hands,” said Dougherty. “I remember my freshman and sophomore year having that title, but having it back again really means a lot.”

One of the main questions in the beginning of the season was how the first-years would stack up for the team. During conferences, a number of first-years won medals and earned points to help put the Bullets on top.

One of which was first-year Aedan Collins, who placed third in the 100m-butterfly.

“Coming in as a freshman, my goal was to contribute in any way I could to the team’s performance at Conference Championships, while hopefully bettering my best times,” he said.

Although only having two seniors, they were well experienced and great leaders for the newcomers on the team.

“Ty and Ian were great leaders and helped me get acquainted with the team while motivating me to do my best,” said Collins. “They have set an example in and out of the pool for us to follow.”

Overall, both the Gettysburg men’s and women’s swim teams have had strong 2017-2018 seasons. Now the Bullets will have to wait and see if any of the them will be heading to the NCAA Division III Championships in Indianapolis.

Author: Gettysburgian Staff

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