Senior Day proved successful for Shippensburg University Saturday, with both the men and women’s teams coming out on top over Edinboro University.

Both teams edged out Edinboro in SU’s final home meet of the year, posting an undefeated record at Donald N. Miller pool this season.

The men squeaked out a win with a score of 134­­–126, clinching the victory on the final event of the day.

The Raiders honored five seniors for the men’s team. Shaun Smith, Alex Gallagher, Mike Gyurisin, Chandler Johnson and Tyler Clisham all capped off Senior Day with strong performances.

Smith led the way, taking first place in both the 100 and 200–yard butterfly, with both swims fast enough to be Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) qualifiers. Smith also anchored the 200–yard relay, which ultimately ended up clinching the victory for the Raiders.

Five different swimmers for the men posted PSAC qualifying times. Freshman Jeff Beyer racked up the points for SU, taking first place in three individual events, good enough for 30 points in the Raider victory.

Clisham helped the Raiders battle back against the Fighting Scots after SU dropped the opening relay. Clisham finished second in the 100–yard breaststroke and the 200–yard medley relay.

Gyurisin and Johnson’s efforts took third in the 200–yard free relay. Gyurisin’s finish just under two minutes in the 200–yard freestyle grabbed third place for the Raiders as well.

The men have another chance to post back-to-back victories for the first time this season Saturday, January 28 at Bucknell.

Six close individual victories paved the way for the women’s fourth victory this season. Seniors Kaytee Garcia and Sami Sabol received the honors prior to Saturday’s meet.

The seniors teamed up to capture third in the 200–yard freestyle relay to close out Senior Day, sealing the win for SU.

The women’s team had contributions throughout the lineup, with five different swimmers taking first place in individual events. Each event winner posted PSAC qualifying times, and seven swimmers in total qualified for PSACs in a myriad of events.

Junior MacKenna Angert had a banner day, taking first place in both the 200 and 500–yard freestyle, both tallying as PSAC qualifiers. Angert also finished with two second place swims.

Carly Alvarado played a pivotal role in the Raiders’ victory, earning two first-place finishes in the 100 and 200–yard backstroke. Alvarado topped off the day with a third-place finish in the 500–yard freestyle to cap off an impressive performance against Edinboro. Alvarado picked up two PSAC qualifiers on the day.

Erin Fife and Sidney Owens both took first place in their respective events, adding to Shippensburg’s point total. Fife’s win in the 200–yard fly smashed the PSAC mark, giving her a total of two PSAC finishes at the meet. Owens’ time in the 200–yard fly also qualified for PSACs. Each of Owens’ three individual performances broke PSAC standards.

Owens’ first-place finish in the 200–yard individual medley gave the team the momentum it needed to clinch the victory, as just six points separated the schools heading into the final event.

Freshman Gabriella Johnson, who spent the majority of the season competing with SU’s volleyball team, made her season debut for the Raiders against Edinboro. Johnson had a strong performance, tying for first place in the 100–yard breaststroke with a time of 1:08.54 and capturing second in the 200–yard breaststroke.

Shippensburg will wrap up the season in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania at Bucknell on January 28. It will be the final meet of the year before the Raiders send its top finishers to the PSAC Championships in February.  

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