10 Bison Swimmers Compete at Mid-Atlantic Long Course Senior Championships

7/28/2015 12:04:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving

By: TBD

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Chris Devlin won the 200-meter backstroke, Louis Behnen posted a pair of runner-up showings and Julianna Foss and Rachel McGoff advanced to championship finals in a combined four events to highlight the individual performances by Bison swimmers at last week's Mid-Atlantic Long Course Senior Championships, which took place at Bucknell's Kinney Natatorium.

Thanks to his performance in the 200 back, Devlin will now be competing at the Phillips 66 National Championships in San Antonio, Texas. He will be joined by teammates Behnen, Jack Robinson and Sam Rutan, who qualified with him in the 800 free relay. The Phillips 66 National Championships will take place Aug. 6-10 at Northside Swim Center.

A total of 10 Bison swimmers were in action last week. Will Rappaport, Sam Mackie, Caroline Orem and Diana Hanson joined the aforementioned group.

Devlin won both the prelims and finals of the 200 back, claiming the final by nearly four seconds over the second-place finisher. The sophomore-to-be also finished fifth in the 200 free and swam the prelims of both the 200 IM and 400 IM.

Behnen competed in five individual events overall, finishing second in the 400 free and 400 IM. He placed in the top five in the prelims of both the 200 free and 200 back and was 10th in the 100 back prelims. Behnen was also part of the 800 free relay that placed second.

Foss advanced to the championship finals in the 100 back, 100 fly and 200 fly, while McGoff was in the championship finals of the 200 IM.

"The summer is a great opportunity to make progress and improve as a swimmer,” mentioned Bucknell head coach Dan Schinnerer. “Long course swimming is important to this program as it is the pathway to the highest levels of our sport, such as the Olympic Trials. Even from a yards perspective, if you want to make it to the NCAA Championship level you have to put in a good summer of training and competing."

Dani Potis, a sophomore in 2015-16, has also been in action this summer. She recently competed at a meet in her hometown of Baltimore and broke school long-course records in the 200 free (2:08.65) and 200 fly (2:22.18).