Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Patriot League Championships
Bucknell Women's Swimming & Diving Finishes Third at Patriot League Championships
2/21/2009 7:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Feb. 21, 2009
| Video Highlights
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Junior Abigail Atkinson (Newtown, Conn./Newtown), sophomore Macey Keath (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) and freshman Jamie Chakany (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) all broke individual school records and the 400-yard freestyle relay team smashed the 16-year-old Bison mark in that event, highlighting the final day of competition for the Bucknell women's swimming & diving team at the Patriot League Championships at Kinney Natatorium. Bucknell finished in third place, behind Colgate and Navy.
The Raiders won the meet with 862 points, followed by Navy with 759.5, Bucknell (656.5), American (315.5), Army (303), Lehigh (262.5), Lafayette (180) and Holy Cross (144).
The 400 free relay team of Molly Goebel (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan), Megan Mongan (Malvern, Pa./Villa Maria Academy), Alex Lovallo (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) and Courtney Warren (Montour Falls, N.Y./Watkins Glen) closed out the meet in style with a time of 3:25.92. That mark was good for a bronze medal, and it crushed the previous school record of 3:30.09 by more than four seconds. The old record had stood since 1993 and was the oldest relay record in the books.
In Saturday's first finals race, Chakany finished third in the 1,650 free, becoming the first Bucknell woman to break the 17-minute barrier in that event. Chakany finished in 16:48.52, bettering Daniela Faas' six-year-old school record of 17:02.07. Chakany's 1,000-yard split of 10:11.43 is also a school record for that distance.
Atkinson secured a bronze medal in the 200 backstroke. She swam 2:00.86 in the finals, and her prelim time of 2:00.24 bettered Lectie Altman's program record. Lauren Russell (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) was fifth in the 200 back in 2:01.57, the third-fastest time in school history.
Keath broke Bucknell marks in the 400 individual medley and 100 breaststroke on Friday, and she added a third individual school record on Saturday in the 200 breaststroke. Keath finished second in the event behind only Colgate's Emily Murphy, and her time of 2:15.90 broke the program record by a whopping three and a half seconds. Jamie Flick set the previous standard of 2:19.44 in 2004. Kelly Morris (Metuchen, N.J./Metuchen) finished seventh in the 200 breaststroke, and her prelim time of 2:19.01 is now second all-time behind Keath.
Warren and Goebel both reached the finals in the 100 freestyle, with Warren finishing fifth (51.40) and Goebel seventh (51.89). Those two now rank 4-5 on Bucknell's all-time list in that event.
Sophomore Laura Twichell (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) was the team's lone finalist in the 200 butterfly. She placed eighth in 2:08.62.
In the finals of the women's 3-meter diving, juniors Allison FitzPatrick (Berwyn, Pa./Episcopal Academy) and Rebecca Bersani (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) tied for fifth place with a score of 232.65. Bison diving coach Errol Carter was named Patriot League Diving Coach of the Year after the meet.
This is the ninth straight year the Bison women have finished in the top three at the Patriot League Championships.
2009 Award Winners:
Male Coach: Bill Roberts, Navy
Female Coach: Steve Jungbluth, Colgate
Diving Coach: Errol Carter, Bucknell
Male Swimmer of the Meet: Adam Meyer, Navy
Female Swimmer of the Meet: Tara Chapmon, Navy
Male Rookie: Mac Anthony, Navy
Female Rookie: Paige Brink, Army
Male Diver: Olaf Olson, Navy
Female Diver: Lindsey Adao, Army
