Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Swimmers Mike Nicholson and Lauren Perry Earn Weekly Awards
1/28/2013 7:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Jan. 28, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. - A pair of Bucknell swimmers were honored with weekly awards on Monday. Junior Mike Nicholson (Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greeley) was named the Patriot League Male Swimmer of the Week after two individual first-place finishes and the fastest time in the exhibition 400-yard individual medley in a 175-118 win over Lehigh, while sophomore Lauren Perry (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) was named the Bison Athlete of the Week after posting three first-place finishes in the Bison women's team's 184-102 victory over the Mountain Hawks.
Nicholson, who has a whopping 24 individual first-place showings in 2012-13, earned the Patriot League Male Swimmer of the Week award for the fifth time this season and the third time in the last four weeks. He is one shy of equaling the single-season record and his 11 career citations place him three shy of that standard.
This past weekend Nicholson won two individual gold medals in the butterfly events. He captured the 100 fly by .54 seconds with a time of 50.85 seconds. Nicholson swam the 200 fly, an event in which he already owns the school record, in 1:49.94. It was his second straight meet under 1:50.00, a figure that no other Bison has ever eclipsed.
In addition to his individual first-place finishes, Nicholson helped the 200 medley relay to a victory. He swam the third leg in 22.57, helping the relay to its third consecutive first-place showing in a meet.
Nicholson's time of 3:59.65 in the 400 IM was the fastest in the eight-person race, but he swam it as an exhibition because Bucknell already had the meet wrapped up. He beat out the second person to touch the wall by 12.71.
Perry registered her first-place finishes in the 100 free, 200 free and 100 fly. Her combined margin over the runner-up finishers in those three events was 6.80 seconds.
Perry won the 200 free in a time of 1:51.45, falling just .11 shy of her own school record, as she touched the wall 3.96 seconds ahead of her closest competitor. Perry won the 100 fly by 2.04 and the 100 free by .80. She now has 11 first-place showings this season, including six in the 200 free.
Thanks to her time of 57.65 in the 100 fly, Perry now ranks 10th in school history in that event.
Perry also swam the leadoff leg of the 400 free relay that had the fastest time (3:36.83) in the field, but was swimming as an exhibition since the Bison had already secured the team victory.
Monday's honor marked Perry's first career Bison Athlete of the Week Award. She won her first career Patriot League Female Swimmer of the Week honor earlier this month.
Both Bucknell men's and women's swimming and diving teams will wrap up their regular season this Saturday, Feb. 2, when they host the Bison Invite. Start time for the event is 10 a.m. in Kinney Natatorium.
