The top six swimming and diving teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference finished the season in the same order as last year – good news for the Massachusetts men, which captured their fourth consecutive A-10 title over the weekend.
Unlike last year’s come-from-behind victory over St. Bonaventure on the last day of the tournament, The Maroon and White led throughout the weekend, en route to becoming the second team in conference history to win four straight titles. UMass finished 254.5 points ahead of second-place St. Bonaventure, with 840 points.
Missouri transfer Justin Zeimetz led the Minutemen from start to finish in his A-10 tournament debut, winning the 50 – yard freestyle on Thursday with a career-best time of 20.84. His mark was the sixth fastest in UMass history. On Friday, Zeimetz won the 100 – yard backstroke with a time of 51.99, and on Saturday he took gold in the 100 – yard free (45.31).
“What Justin did was very impressive, to be able to win three individual titles and then be part of both winning really teams, really shows the kind of condition [Zeimetz] is in,” said UMass men’s coach Russ Yarworth, who was named the A-10 Coach of the Year for the fifth consecutive season.
Zeimetz teamed up with senior Sean Collins, junior Ryan Matthews, and freshman Gordon Leonard on Thursday, to capture the team’s first relay victory, in the 200 – yard free relay (1:22.84). On Saturday, junior Owen Scollan stepped in for Collins as Zeimetz’s relay team took top honors in the 400 – yard free relay.
Captain Connor Townsend, part of a senior core of swimmers who finished their collegiate careers with a perfect 4-0 record at the A-10’s, swam the 200 – yard butterfly in 1:51.10, earning him a top spot in on the final day of racing.
Several other UMass swimmers finished the meet with individual titles, including freshman Evan Swisher and Greg Chartier, who won the 200 – yard back and 400 – yard individual medley, with times of 1:51.68, and 3:59.7, respectively. Leonard, the team’s freshman sprinter, was a part of all three winning relay teams.
“Having a group of freshmen being so successful in their tournament debut really bodes well for the future,” Yarworth said. “Zeimetz and the freshmen are proving to be a key addition to a team that lost ten seniors to graduation last year.”
Despite the efforts of sophomore Adrian Blaszczak, the A-10 Outstanding Performer of the Year, the Bonnies could not compete with a Minuteman team (4-1) that ended the weekend with six individual titles and two relay victories.
Blaszazak earned a conference-high 60 individual points, and qualified for the NCAA B qualifiers in the 200 – yard back, which he won with a time of 2:00.87. Teammate Randy Kozlowski, last year’s A-10 Most Outstanding Diving Performer, also made the NCAA B cut with a score of 480.55 in the three-meter diving competition.
Kozlowski forfeited his diving crown to La Salle freshman Karo Isajan, who lifted a struggling Explorer team to a third place conference finish, with wins in both the one and three-meter events. Isajan’s scores earned him an invite to the NCAA B Championships. With two individual titles, Isajan and teammates Eric Limbach and Sean Connors-McBride set a team record for individual victories in the A-10’s.
UMass had considerable success on the boards as well, mainly from freshman Mary Jenkins, who took home gold in the one-meter dive on Sunday, with a score of 232.10.
“As a team we did great,” UMass diving coach Mandy Hixon said. “We scored as a group, finishing with two men and two women in the top eight in both the one and three-meter events.”
Even with a first-place finish in the 1,650 – yard free, and 53 total points throughout the weekend, George Washington freshman Sean Flaherty could do little to lift his Colonials above fourth place. Falling to George Washington by a mere 10 points (408-398) was Xavier, a squad that ended the tournament fourth in the swimming-only category. Fordham finished sixth among the eight teams, helped by freshman Niko Felix, who took fourth in the 200 – yard breast (2:06.60). Duquense and Rhode Island repeated as this year’s cellar dwellers, finishing with 257.5 and 240.5 points, respectively.
On the women’s side, Richmond captured their third straight title in convincing fashion, finishing 442.5 points ahead of second-place St. Bonaventure (447). One individual victory by Elise Gaillard in the 100 – yard breast (1.0474) was nowhere near enough to keep the Bonnies close to Richmond.
The Spiders were led by sophomore Brooke Boncher, who earned the honor of A-10 Outstanding Performer after finishing first in the 100 – yard free (50.25). Boucher’s time set a pool record, and combined with a weekend total of 60 individual points, qualified her for the NCAA B Championships.
Xavier made a strong showing in the swimming events, breaking four school records on the final day. The team would have finished second instead of fourth if it hadn’t been for diving points. Senior Molly Moeller and junior Janet Heil set the two individual school records. Both finished fourth overall in the 200 – yard back and 200 – yard fly, with times of 2:05.98 and 2:07.11, respectively.
Massachusetts finished the weekend in fifth, slipping to Xavier on the tournaments last relay race. Senior captain Diana Alberti, the team’s butterfly specialist, led UMass scorers with a second-place finish in the 200 – yard fly, one of three events she was a finalist for over the weekend.
“This year’s meet was much faster than last year’s, all the teams stepped up their times,” UMass women’s coach Bob Newcomb said. “Alberti dropped a few seconds off her fly, and she just missed setting a school record.” She is currently second all-time in the 200 – yard butterfly.
Senior tri-captains Lauren Rowell, Alberti, and Christen Dexter concluded their collegiate careers on a high note, with a second-place finish in the 200 – yard medley relay.
“We scored thirty points more than we did last year, and we easily could have finished fourth,” Newcomb said. “But the team put in a terrific effort and the camaraderie helped create a great team atmosphere.”
