The Shippensburg University men’s and women’s swimming teams wrapped up their regular season competition on Saturday with strong performances at Bucknell University’s Bison Open.
Shippensburg posted a total of 28 performances — 19 for the men and nine for the women — that met the qualifying standard for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
Among those 28 qualifying performances, six men’s swims represented new qualifications in specific events, while three women’s swims qualified for specific events. The men finished with seven athletes placing in the Top 6.
Two Raider freshmen men performed particularly well on Saturday, recording two new conference qualifiers apiece. Andrew Hale hit PSAC qualifying marks in the 500-yard freestyle (4:56.30) and the 400-yard individual medley (4:25.94). Fellow freshman Trevor Woolwine qualified for the 1,650-yard freestyle in 17:31.17 and the 200-yard backstroke in 2:04.24.
Freshman Vin Salvatore claimed a conference qualifier in the 1,650-yard freestyle too, finishing fifth with a time of 17:10.78.
Senior Wendell Banks swam a personal collegiate-best time of 22.66 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle to earn a PSAC qualifier. Banks joined junior Jeff Beyer and sophomore Hunter Keck as the PSAC qualifiers for the Raiders in the event. Beyer finished 11th (22.04) and Keck took 15th (22.32).
On the women’s side, junior Gabriella Johnson won the 200-meter breaststroke in a time of 2:28.29. She also completed the 50-yard freestyle in 26.39 and notched a PSAC qualifying time of 55.93 in the 100-yard freestyle — her first time competing in the event.
Women’s swimming has a strong performance on Saturday at Bucknell University’s Bison Open.
Freshman Bri Joll continued SU’s day of strong freshman performances when she swam the 400-yard individual medley in 4:49.84 for fifth in the race. Her time was the second-best mark of the season in the event for the Raiders.
Junior Gracee Tothero posted a conference-qualifying time of 19:14.09 in the 1,650-yard freestyle, SU’s final new PSAC qualifier of the day. Senior Kara Killion finished just behind Tothero in the event, placing fifth with a time of 20:39.94.
The mile was only one of three events for Killion on the day, also competing in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke. She took sixth in the 100 with a time of 1:10.39 and second in the 200 in just 2:34.23.
Both swim teams now set their sights on the PSAC Championships, which are set to begin Feb. 20 in York, Pennsylvania. The Raiders have two weeks to prepare both mentally and physically for championship season.
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