Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Princeton Invitational
Bucknell Swimming and Diving Competes on Day One of Big Al Open
11/30/2007 7:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Nov. 30, 2007
PRINCETON, N.J. - The Bucknell swimming and diving teams were in action on Friday on day one of Princeton's Big Al Open. The Bison men totaled 27 points and sit seventh out of eight teams, while Bucknell's women's squad scored 14 points and is currently 11th out of 11 schools competing in the prestigious meet. Penn State leads the way for both the men and the women with 375.5 points and 329 points, respectively.
For the Bison women, senior Kristen Skroski (North Haven, Conn./Hopkins) qualified for the "C" final in the 500-yard freestyle and finished 20th with a time of five minutes, 2.77 seconds. After tying for 24th in the preliminaries, Skroski posted a career best time of 5:00.48 to win a swim-off and moved up to fourth all-time in the Bucknell record book.
Freshman Molly Goebel (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) qualified for the "C" final in the 50 free and took 22nd with a time of 24.78. Like Skroski, Goebel also needed to win a swim-off to advance out of the preliminaries after tying for 24th and did so with a season-best mark of 24.04, moving her into fifth in Bison history.
Despite not qualifying for the finals in the 200 IM, sophomore Abigail Atkinson (Newtown, Conn./Newtown) posted a career best, reaching the wall in 2:11.12 to place 30th in the preliminaries.
On the men's side, sophomores Luke Trafton (Bath, Maine/Morse) and Ben Leboza (Green Oaks, Ill./Libertyville) reached the finals, placing ninth and 25th in the preliminaries, respectively. Trafton finished 12th overall with a time of 4:36.09, competing in the "B" final, while Leboza was 21st overall as a "C" finalist, posting a time of 4:44.62.
Sophomore Daniel Fletcher (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) swam 200 IM in 1:58.81 to place 23rd in the finals and junior Mark Kawczenski (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Hanover Area) finished 20th in the 50 free finals with a time of 21.48.
In the 400 medley relay, Bucknell's men took eighth as Kawczenski, senior Joseph Metcalf (Knoxville, Tenn./Phillips Exeter Academy (N.H.)), freshman Michael Volpe (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) and Fletcher combined for a time of 3:28.43. The women's squad of sophomore Courtney Warren (Montour Falls, N.Y./Watkins Glen), junior Kelly Morris (Metuchen, N.J./Metuchen), Goebel and junior Susan Horstmann (Havertown, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) placed 10th in the event with a time of 3:57.39.
The Bison will continue to compete in the Princeton Big Al Open tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 1, which will begin with the women's 200 medley relay preliminaries at 11 a.m.
