Eric Sokolosky Wins 50 Free, Bucknell Men's Swimming and Diving Stands Second at PL Championships

Thursday, February 18

Annapolis, Md.

6:00 PM

Bucknell University

PLC - Day 1 Finals

Eric Sokolosky Wins 50 Free, Bucknell Men's Swimming and Diving Stands Second at PL Championships

2/18/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving

By: TBD

Feb. 18, 2010

Results

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Eric Sokolosky won the 50-yard freestyle and six Bison scored points in the 200 individual medley, helping the Bucknell men's swimming and diving team to a second-place showing following the first day of the Patriot League Championships at Lejeune Hall.

The Bison and host Navy are trying to run away from the rest of the pack. The Mids, who won four of the five events contested on Thursday, totaled 317 points, while Bucknell is second with 172. Third-place Lehigh has 98 points, while Colgate and Army are tied for fourth with 91 points apiece. Navy has won the last six titles.

Sokolosky won the 50 free in a season-best time of 20.79 seconds for his first Patriot League gold medal. It is the second consecutive year a Bison has won the event as Mark Kawczenski won it last year. That was the lone first-place showing for Bucknell in 2009. Sokolosky joined Kawczenski and Luke Trafton as the only Bison to win individual races at the Patriot League Championships over the last four years.

Bucknell dominated the 200 IM, claiming six of the top-16 spots in the finals. Three of those finals participants recorded new program top-10 times, including Daniel Fletcher. Fletcher was the top Bison finisher, taking third in 1:50.68. That time was just .02 seconds off Jim Harvey's 20-plus-year-old record. Fletcher was greatly improved from last year when he finished ninth in the 200 IM.

Christian Treat and Billy Krause finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 200 IM, joining Fletcher in the “A” final. Treat's time of 1:51.70 was a new personal best and ranks him third on the top-10 list. Additionally, 11th-place finisher Nathaniel Frye moved into a tie for eighth on the program's top-10 list, touching the wall in 1:53.67. Michael Volpe and Brett Carey also scored for the Bison in the event.

Navy dominated the 500 free, taking the top six spots. However, the Bison were next in line, taking three of the next four spots. Matthew Segar was Bucknell's top finisher in 4:30.75, the second-best time in program history. Jonathan Podniesinski, who recorded the fifth-best time in school annals during the prelims, took eighth in 4:37.79. Trafton, the 2007 Rookie of the Meet and a three-time Patriot League champion, took 10th.

Sokolosky and Fletcher were not only successful in individual events, but they helped both the 200 free relay and 400 medley relay to second-place showings. They were joined by Treat and Spencer Hallowell in the 200 free relay and by Frye and Volpe in the medley. The free relay timed in at 1:22.12, the third-best time in Bucknell history, while the medley relay's time of 3:21.00 ranks second. Fletcher recorded a 50.96 on the first leg of the medley relay, placing him fourth on the 100 backstroke all-time list.

The Patriot League Championships will continue Friday and Saturday. The prelims will be each day at 10:30 a.m., while the finals will take place at 6 p.m.

Team Scores
1. Navy - 317
2. Bucknell – 172
3. Lehigh – 98
4. Army – 91
4. Colgate – 91
6. American – 74
7. Holy Cross – 46
8. Lafayette - 26

New Top-10 Times
500 free (2. Matthew Segar – 4:30.75; 5. Jonathan Podniesinski – 4:33.48)
200 IM (2. Daniel Fletcher – 1:50.68; 3. Christian Treat – 1:51.70; t-8. Nathaniel Frye – 1:53.67)
200 free relay (3. Fletcher, Treat, Hallowell, Sokolosky – 1:22.12)
400 medley relay (2. Fletcher (4. 100 back - 50.96), Frye, Volpe, Sokolosky – 3:21.00)

Bucknell Results
Brett Carey
200 IM prelims: 16th, 1:58.06
200 IM finals: 16th, 1:58.22