Four Individual Titles on Final Day Help Push Bucknell Women's Swimming and Diving Into Second Place at PL Championships

Saturday, February 23

Lewisburg, Pa.

6:00 PM

Bucknell University

Patriot League Championships Finals

Four Individual Titles on Final Day Help Push Bucknell Women's Swimming and Diving Into Second Place at PL Championships

2/23/2013 7:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving

By: TBD

Feb. 23, 2013

Results | Photo Gallery | BUY PHOTOS
Final PL Championships Results

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Lauren Perry and Emma Levendoski each earned her second individual title in as many days and Kelly Pontecorvo and Katie Hetheringtoneach won her first career gold medal at the Patriot League Championships to help push the Bucknell women's swimming and diving team to a second-place finish in the team standings on the final day of the three-day meet at Kinney Natatorium. The Bison entered the day 24 points behind second-place Colgate and ended the day with a 15-point advantage.

Bucknell, which earned its third runner-up finish in the last four years, had seven total individual winners during the three-day meet, tying the program record set by the 2003 squad that captured the school's first Patriot League team crown.

Bison seventh-year head coach Dan Schinnerer earned his first career Patriot League Women's Coach of the Year honor, while Levendoski was named Female Rookie of the Meet. Longtime Bucknell diving coach Errol Carterearned Diving Coach of the Year for the third time, and second consecutive season, while Hetherington was named the Female Diver of the Meet. A Bison had never before been named Rookie of the Meet or Diver of the Meet.

Bucknell entered the final three events (200 fly, three-meter diving, 400 free relay) with a seven-point edge on Colgate for second place. The Bison's top finisher in the 200 fly was Stephanie Koziol, who placed ninth, while the Raiders had a pair of swimmers in the "A" finals as they took a seven point edge with two events to go. Hetherington and fellow divers Tara Boyle and Tori Molchanyoutscored Colgate's Kim Pilka 47-17 to put Bucknell back up by 23 points heading into the final relay. The Raiders won the 400 free relay, but the Bison had already clinched second place as long as they finished the relay.

Navy won the team crown with 836 points. Bucknell finished with 670, while Colgate had 655.

Perry, a sophomore who captured her first career PL title Friday in the 200 free, duplicated that effort Saturday in the 100 free. She tied for sixth in the prelims, but then won the finals from lane one. Her time of 50.86 seconds was a school record and .52 faster than her prelim time.

Perry, a 2012 First Team All-Patriot League selection, finished the Patriot League Championships with two new school records, two gold medals (100 free, 200 free) and a sixth-place showing (50 free). She was also part of four relay teams.

Levendoski joined Perry by becoming the first Bison to win two individual PL crowns in a year since Rebecca Scheffter and Lectie Altmanin 2005. The freshman won the 200 back Saturday in a school-record time of 1:57.71, 2.53 seconds better than the standard entering the day. Levendoski won the final by .77 seconds and was one of just two swimmers to touch the wall in less than two minutes.

Pontecorvo set two school records en route to her first career Patriot League title as she won the 1,650 free. She broke her own record in the event by touching the wall in 16:30.95, while her 1,000 split time of 9:57.52 made her the first-ever Bison to post a sub-10 minute time. A two-time Second Team All-Patriot League selection, Pontecorvo won the 1,650 free by more than 21 seconds as she became the first Bucknell swimmer to win the event since Daniela Faasin 2002.

Hetherington, a sophomore who placed third off the one-meter board on Friday, captured the three-meter with a career-best score of 300.55, breaking her own school record of 285.05. Her win gave the Bison a sweep of the diving events as Boyle captured the one-meter crown. Hetherington now has a first, a second and two thirds in four career Patriot League diving events. She is the only Bison to win the three-meter diving competition at the Patriot League Championships. Last year, Boyle became the first Bucknell female student-athlete to win a diving gold medal.

Emily Norton posted Bucknell's top finish in the 200 breast as she touched the wall third, capping a strong weekend that featured third-place showings in both breaststroke events. Norton's finals time of 2:16.87 ranks No. 2 in school history. Senior Elizabeth Porcelliowas seventh in the 200 breast, marking her ninth career top-eight finish at Patriots.

Bucknell will continue competition next weekend at the ECAC Championships at Harvard. The three-day meet begins Friday, March 1.

Team Scores
1. Navy - 836
2. Bucknell - 670
3. Colgate - 655
4. Army - 542
5. Lehigh - 312
6. Lafayette - 185
7. Holy Cross - 120
8. American - 117

New Top-10 Marks
200 back (1. Emma Levendoski - 1:57.71; 4. Ashley Henderson - 2:01.13)
100 free (1. Lauren Perry - 50.86; 10. Kaitlyn Utkewicz - 52.41)
200 breast (2. Emily Norton - 2:16.87; 5. Elizabeth Porcellio - 2:19.68; 7. Meg Lattimer - 2:22.86)
200 fly (3. Stephanie Koziol - 2:05.84)
1,650 free (1. Kelly Pontecorvo - 16:30.95)
1,000 free (1. Kelly Pontecorvo - 9:57.52 (1,650 split))
400 free relay (4. Perry, Wright, Porcellio, Utkewicz - 3:28.13)
3-M diving (1. Katie Hetherington- 300.55)