Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh men finish fourth, women fifth at Patriot League Championships
2/19/2012 3:54:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Lehigh swimming and diving teams completed a strong showing at the Patriot League Championships as competition wrapped-up Saturday night at Navy's Lejeune Hall. Three more school records fell on Saturday bringing Lehigh's total for the championships to seven. The Mountain Hawk men finished in fourth place with 460 points, while the women placed fifth with 317.5 points.
The men's 400 free relay team of junior Frank Cuzzola, sophomore Demetri Karedis, senior Kevin Shoemaker and sophomore Chris Hoke led the way by setting a school record in the final event of the championships. They topped the previous mark by more than two seconds, clocking in at 3:00.72, good for a second place finish. Two days ago, Lehigh also set a school record in the 200 free relay.
Lehigh's other men's school record on Saturday came on the diving boards as senior Connor Styles capped his Lehigh career by scoring 315.25 points in the men's three meter event, .40 points better than Kevin Murphy's mark set back in 1994. Styles finished fourth overall. Sophomore Mike Harshman and freshman Dan Bateman did not qualify for the finals, but scored points finishing 11th and 14th respectively.
In the night's opening event, freshman Danny Bennett reached the podium with a third place finish in the 1650 free with a time of 15:47.89. Two others scored points by finishing in the top 16, with freshman Jake Greene coming in 11th in 16:18.43 and sophomore Will Dearden placing 16th in 16:30.02.The Mountain Hawks placed three in the top 11 in the 100 free with Hoke leading the way placing fifth in 45.48. Cuzzola finished eighth in 46.32, while Karedis placed 11th overall in 46.07. In the 200 yard breaststroke, freshman Matt Ferguson reached the finals, placing fifth with a time of 2:04.21. In the consolation final freshman Jack Lorentzen finished 13th overall touching the wall in 2:08.01.
Lehigh's other championship finalist was junior Alex Aboud, who placed eighth in the 200 yard butterfly, clocking in at 1:52.38. Shoemaker took 12th overall while Kyle Jennings finished 13th in 1:55.22. The Mountain Hawks also placed three in the consolation finals of the 200 back, with freshman Sean Brant winning the B final in 1:52.02. Senior Chris Toth took 11th in 1:53.48, while sophomore Matt Chrzanowski finished 13th in 1:54.65.
Navy's men cruised to yet another league championship, besting second place Bucknell by nearly 400 points. The Mountain Hawks were comfortably in fourth place, finishing with 460 points, 74.5 behind third place Army.
Freshman Alissa Leung set her second school record in as many days to lead the Lehigh women. Leung wiped more than four seconds off Julie Mitchell's school mark in the 200 yard backstroke, posting the No. 2 qualifying time at 2:00.05. In the finals, Leung settled for third place overall with a time of 2:00.60.
Junior Emily DiDonato matched Leung for the top individual women's finish at the championships, placing third in the 200 yard breaststroke in 2:20.03. The Mountain Hawks also placed two in the B finals as freshman Kim Weyand placed 12th overall in 2:25.46 and junior Danielle Caruso taking 15th with a time of 2:26.46. Sophomore Meredith Bayer finished one spot off the medal stand, taking fourth in the 200 yard butterfly with a finals time of 2:06.33. Two others reached the B final as freshman Mary Samuels placed 11th overall with a time of 2:08.13, while senior Alyssa Siano took 13th, finishing in 2:10.00.
Lehigh's fourth performer in the top eight was junior Daniela Sonderegger, who finished eighth in the one meter diving competition with a score of 211.90.
Saturday's final session began with the 1650 yard freestyle, with two Mountain Hawks finishing in the top 16. Sophomore Giovanna Patafio posted a time of 17:36.26, good for 13th place, while Siano took 15th in 17:48.53.
Senior Paola Simon reached the consolation final at the 100 free finishing 15th in 53.50.
In the final meet of the championships, senior Priscilla Barletta, sophomore Madeleine Smith, freshman Taylor Wise and Simon placed seventh in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:36.03.
The Navy women overtook Colgate to capture the league title with 933.5 points. Colgate took second with 692.5 while Bucknell finished in third place.
Women's Team Standings
1. Navy - 933.5
2. Colgate - 692.5
3. Bucknell - 593
4. Army - 422.5
5. LEHIGH - 317.5
6. Lafayette - 217
7. American - 213
8. Holy Cross - 116
Men's Team Standings
1. Navy - 1029.5
2. Bucknell - 638.5
3. Army - 534.5
4. LEHIGH - 460
5. American - 271.5
6. Colgate - 262
7. Lafayette - 164
8. Holy Cross – 123
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