Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Navy Invitational
Hetherington, Gautieri and Porcellio Combine for Four Victories as Bucknell Women's Swimming and Diving Closes Regular Season at Navy Invitational
1/28/2012 7:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Jan. 28, 2012
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Freshman Katie Hetherington swept both diving events and Elizabeth Porcellio and Gina Gautieri each won a swimming event as the Bucknell women's swimming and diving team wrapped up its regular season Saturday afternoon at the unscored Navy Invitational in Lejeune Hall. The Bison competed in the meet with the host Mids, American, Lafayette and Shippensburg.
Unlike on the men's side where Navy captured 14 of the 17 events, the women were a little more balanced. The Bison had four total wins, American two and Shippensburg one, with the Mids coming away victorious in 10 events.
Bucknell used the meet as a final tuneup for next month's Patriot League Championships. Many Bison swam unfamiliar events and were not entered in as many events as normal with the league meet less than three weeks away.
Hetherington led a strong Bucknell diving corps with a pair of first-place showings. She won the one-meter board with a 231.15 to finish one spot ahead of classmate Tori Molchany's runner-up score of 222.10. Tara Boyle (6th) and Morgan Popple (7th) also showed up in the final listing of divers. Hetherington duplicated her gold medal off the three-meter with an impressive 276.85, her second-highest mark of the season. Boyle (4th), Molchany (5th) and Popple (7th) again helped the Bison to claim more than one-half of the top-seven places.
Porcellio dominated the 400 IM for her victory. She won the race by 5.83 seconds over the runner-up finisher from Navy. Stephanie Koziol (4th), Anna Griest (6th) and Meg Lattimer (7th) also placed in the seven-swimmer field. Porcellio also swam the 50 free on Saturday and finished 12th.
Gautieri's win came in the 200 breast. It marked the first victory this season for the freshman as she touched the wall in 2:33.63, .27 ahead of Navy freshman Sam Brennan and .43 ahead of American rookie Grace Ibrahim. Gautieri was also Bucknell's top finisher in the 100 breast. Her time of 1:08.91 was a season best and it places her fifth on the 2011-12 Bison fastest times list.
Emily Wright was Bucknell's top finisher in both the 50 free (2nd) and 100 free (4th), while Sydney Schroeder took home a second-place medal in the 200 back.
The Bison did not have an entrant in the 500 or 1,650 free races nor the 200 free relay and 200 medley relay.
Bucknell will now be idle until next month's Patriot League Championships which will be held at Navy. The three-day event begins Thursday, Feb. 16.
