Saturday Results and Team Scores

LEWISBURG, Pa. (2/17/07) – Records fell during the second day of the Patriot League Championship, as the Colgate women’s swimming and diving team held on to third place heading into the final day of the meet.

Colgate broke its varsity record, set earlier this season, in the 800 free relay with a time of 7:29.53. The foursome of sophomore Ashley Bottger (Weston, Conn.), freshman Kate Murphy (Williamsburg, Va.), and sophomores Beverly Walker (Marietta, Ga.) and Lisa Marchi (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished second to Navy, who broke the Raiders’ league record set in November and their meet record set last season with a time of 7:27.85.

The Raiders broke the varsity record in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:44.71. Walker swam the lead-off backstroke leg in a personal-best time of 26.76. Junior Kacy Reams (Evanston, Ill.) swam the breaststroke portion, followed by Kate Murphy on the butterfly. Bottger completed the freestyle portion in a split of 23.29.

Walker broke her own varsity record in the 100 back to earn Colgate’s first gold medal of the meet. She finished the final in 56.47, and her prelim time of 57.93 ranks eighth on the Raider performances list. Senior co-captain Leslie Petsoff (Glen Ridge, N.J.) finished 16^th in 1:01.89, while her prelim time of 1:01.19 was a personal best and places her 10^th on the all-time performers chart. Freshman Leslie Strobel (Apple Valley, Minn.) recorded a personal-best time of 1:03.93 in the preliminaries.

Kate Murphy tied the varsity record and set the freshman record in the 100 fly. Her time of 56.36 placed her second in the finals, and her preliminary time of 56.85 ranks sixth in school history. Walker was right behind her in third place with a time of 57.18. Petsoff finished 11^th with a personal-best time of 59.27. She took over the No. 10 spot on the all-time performers list. Junior Magdalena Mango (New York, N.Y.) was 15^th with a time of 59.73, but her prelim time of 59.24 was a personal best and puts her ninth on the performers ledger. In addition, Strobel and sophomore Melanie Homoki (Allison Park, Pa.) posted personal-best times of 1:02.67 and 1:02.90, respectively, in the prelims.

Marchi finished fourth in the 200 free with the third-fastest time in school history, 1:51.91. Bottger was sixth, touching the wall in 1:53.77, after swimming a personal-best time of 1:53.57 in the prelim. Her morning time places her fourth on the all-time performers list. Senior co-captain Keriann Fitzsimons (Red Hook, N.Y.) was 11^th overall with a time of 1:55.54, which is a personal best and puts her in sixth place on the performers chart.

Reams finished seventh in the 100 breast with a time of 1:06.39. Her prelim time of 1:05.52 was a personal best, and was the fourth-fastest in school history. She ranks second on the all-time performers list. Sophomore Emily Murphy (Syracuse, N.Y.) was right behind her in eighth, touching the wall in 1:07.14. Her prelim time of 1:05.83 ranks seventh in school history. Freshman Caitlin Curran (Alpharetta, Ga.) won the consolation final to finish ninth overall with a time of 1:06.36. She was followed by classmate Alaina Sullivan (Shaker Heights, Ohio), who posted a personal-best time of 1:06.53 to finish 10^th. Sullivan is fifth on the all-time performers ledger. Mango came in 14^th with a time of 1:07.92. Her prelim time of 1:07.67 tied her personal best and ranks seventh on the performers list.

Junior Colby Seamans (Naperville, Ill.) swam the 400 IM in a personal-best time of 4:33.25 in the morning preliminary. The time ranks seventh in school history, and places her second on Colgate’s all-time performers list. Seamans’ time of 4:36.56 in the final earned her eighth place. Freshman Karen Baker (Houston, Texas) finished second in the consolation final to come in 10^th overall with a personal-best time of 4:34.00. The time places her third on the Raiders’ performers list.

Senior Gretchen Swarr (Southport, Conn.) finished fifth in the 1-meter diving competition with a score of 213.10. Freshman Heather Friedman (Wayland, Mass.) posted a personal-best score of 157.80 in the preliminary competition.

Colgate will try to close the 35-point gap between itself and second-place Bucknell during the final day of competition on Sunday. Preliminary races start at 9:30 a.m., and finals commence at 5:00 p.m.