Bucknell University Athletics
Five Members of Bucknell Men's Swimming and Diving Team Named All-Patriot League
2/27/2013 7:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Feb. 27, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell junior Mike Nicholson (Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greeley) earned his third consecutive First Team All-Patriot League citation and four other Bison men's swimmers also garnered All-League honors Wednesday, the league office announced Wednesday. Senior Christian Treat (Evergreen, Colo./Clear Creek) joined Nicholson on the first team, while senior Billy Krause (Huntington Bay, N.Y./St. Anthony's) and sophomores Ben Seketa (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee) and Erik Heinemann (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor) were second-team selections.
Ten-time champion Navy had 13 first-team selections and led the way with 16 all-league picks. Bucknell's five honorees ranked third in the league behind Navy and Army. The Bison placed third in the final Patriot League Championships team standings behind the Mids and Black Knights, marking Bucknell's eighth consecutive top-three showing at the event.
The Bison's five All-Patriot League selections have combined for 14 career all-league citations. Seketa was the only first-time honoree for Bucknell. Treat and Krause became the first Bison classmates to earn All-League recognition four consecutive years since Todd Bauer and Mark Kretzer from 2003-06. Nicholson is the first Bucknell swimmer to earn first-team honors three straight years since Mark Kawczenski from 2007 to 2009.
Each of the All-Patriot League teams is comprised of 18 student-athletes. First-team status is automatically awarded to competitors who earn a first-place finish at the championship meet. The remaining first-team slots are filled by student-athletes with the highest remaining individual point totals from the meet. Second-team status is automatically given to all second-place finishers who do not otherwise have enough points to move up to the first team. The remaining second-team slots are then filled by competitors with the highest remaining point totals.
Nicholson was the only non-Navy student-athlete in the top 13 in individual points at this past week's Patriot League Championships. The 2011 Patriot League 400 IM champion tied for seventh in the league with 48 points. He finished third in the 200 IM, fourth in the 400 IM and fourth in the 200 breast, giving him nine career top-seven showings at the Patriot League Championships.
In addition to his three top-four finishes, Nicholson recorded new school records in each of his three individual events. He bettered his own standards in the 200 IM and 400 IM, while his time of 1:59.61 in the 200 breast eclipsed Stephen Schwanhausser's 10-year-old mark. Nicholson now owns four school records and ranks in the top 10 in program history in six different events.
Nicholson was also part of two relays that finished in the top four at the Patriot League Championships and posted new program top-10 times.
A 12-time scorer at the Patriot League Championships, Treat tallied 44 points last week to rank 14th in the league. He was the second-highest non-Navy point-scorer, behind Nicholson.
Treat finished fourth in the 200 IM and 100 breast and recorded a fifth-place showing in the 200 breast, giving him eight career top-five finishes at the Patriot League Championships. He has now earned First Team All-Patriot League honors two straight years after being named to the Second Team as a freshman and sophomore. Treat, the two-time Patriot League Men's Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was also a member of four relays that posted top-four finishes and top-10 times in program history.
Treat's times in the 200 IM (1:49.52) and 200 breast (2:00.46) rank him No. 2 in program history behind Nicholson in both events, while his 100 breast time (55.02) was a new school record.
Krause earned his fourth consecutive Second Team All-Patriot League honor after reaching the "A" final in three different events last week. The senior was fourth in the 400 IM, sixth in the 200 fly and seventh in the 500 free. It marked a career-best finish in the 400 IM and equaled his best showing in the 200 fly. This year was the first time he competed in the 500 free at the Patriot League Championships after focusing on the 200 IM his first three years.
Krause finished his Patriot League career as a 12-time scorer in individual events at the championship meet.
Heinemann posted his second straight Second Team award after finishing fourth (200 fly), fifth (200 free) and 14th (500 free) at this year's Patriot League Championships. His time in the 200 fly ranks No. 2 in program history, while he now stands sixth on the 200 free all-time list.
Seketa, who scored in both breaststroke events as a freshman in 2012, landed on the All-League team for the first time thanks to seventh-place (100 breast), eighth-place (200 breast) and ninth-place (200 IM) finishes. His time in the 200 IM was faster than two swimmers that competed in the "A" final.
Heinemann and Seketa tied for 28th in points scored during the championship meet.
In total, Bucknell's five All-Patriot League choices combined for four new school records, 13 new top-10 times in program history and they scored in 15 events.
While the Patriot League Championships are now complete, the season does not end for the Bison. A number of Bucknell swimmers will be competing at this weekend's ECAC Championships, which will take place back at Harvard. The event starts Friday and continues through Sunday.
Bucknell's All-Patriot League Selections (previous All-League selections)
First Team
Mike Nicholson (2011 - 1st; 2012 - 1st)
Christian Treat (2010 - 2nd; 2011 - 2nd; 2012 - 1st)
Second Team
Erik Heinemann (2012 - 2nd)
Billy Krause (2010 - 2nd; 2011 - 2nd; 2012 - 2nd)
Ben Seketa
