Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Patriot League Championships
Boyle Finishes 2nd, Two Relays Set School Records on First Day of PL Championships
2/19/2014 10:20:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Junior diver Tara Boyle notched a silver medal in three-meter diving and the Bucknell 200 medley relay and 800 free relays set school records on the opening day of the Patriot League Swimming and Diving Championships Wednesday at Navy. The new format of the championships included an abbreviated schedule on the first day of the meet that now spans four days.
Boyle, who is a two-time Patriot League champion off the one-meter board, posted a career-best mark (and the No. 2 score in program history) in the finals of Wednesday's three-meter competition to finish a career-best second. Her score of 265.90 was more than 21 points better than third-place Julie Jesse of Navy.
In five career Patriot League diving competitions, Boyle has now finished first twice, second, fourth and fifth for a total of five top-five showings.
Defending Patriot League three-meter champion Katie Hetherington placed 11th, one spot ahead of teammate Tori Molchany.
The 200 medley relay of Emma Levendoski, Ashley Henderson, Kristen Purdy and Kaitlyn Utkewicz finished in 1:42.94 to set a school record in the event by .17 seconds. The Bison finished in third place, the best of any Bucknell relay on day one of the Championships.
The 800 free relay shaved 7.02 seconds off the previous school record en route to a fifth-place finish. Lauren Perry, Stephanie Koziol, Lyndsey Marcheskie and Rachel McGoff finished in 7:24.74 with Perry's leadoff leg just over one-half second shy of her own school mark in the 200 free.
“If someone would have told me we would have set four school records tonight, I would have taken that, but the fact is we finished third, fourth and fifth, when looking at both the men and the women and that shows the strength of this league,” said Bucknell head coach Dan Schinnerer, the 2013 Patriot League Coach of the Year. “There were five teams in the mix to win tonight's women's 800 free and we swam really well, but unfortunately finished fifth. It is a testament to how deep this field is.”
Bucknell is tied for third in the team standings with Army. Host Navy leads after day one.
The Patriot League Championships will continue Thursday with a full day of competition at Lejeune Hall. The 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free and men's one-meter diving are the individual events that will take place. Additionally the 200 free relay will be held. Prelims will take place at 10:30 a.m., while the finals are slated for 6 p.m.
Team Scores
1. Navy - 108
2. Boston U. – 104
3. Bucknell – 88
3. Army – 88
5. Loyola – 66
6. Colgate – 64
7. American – 51
8. Lafayette – 44
9. Lehigh – 32
9. Holy Cross - 32
New Top-10 Marks
Three-Meter Diving (2. Tara Boyle – 265.90)
200 medley relay (1. Levendoski, Henderson, Purdy, Utkewicz – 1:42.94)
800 free relay (1. L. Perry, Koziol, Marcheskie, McGoff – 7:24.74)
Players Mentioned
