Shippensburg University’s swimming teams picked up a pair of victories over Kutztown in a dual meet on Wednesday evening, with the men’s team winning 129-74 while the women eked out a 131-130 win.

The men’s team won 12 of 14 events, taking on a Kutztown team competing in its first meet since 2009 when the program was cut. Eight different Raiders picked up individual victories.

Three Raiders provisionally qualified for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championships, including a pair in the 50-yard freestyle. 

Sophomore Robbie Ferlick won the event and qualified with a time of 21.72 seconds, while sophomore Mason Koeth placed third to qualify at 22.30 seconds.

Koeth also provisionally qualified for the PSACs in the 100-yard backstroke, winning the event at 54 seconds even. Senior Zaidian Van Orden was the night’s other PSAC provisional qualifier, winning the 100-yard butterfly at 53.64 seconds.

A pair of freshmen SU swimmers picked up their first collegiate event wins in the dual meet. Alex Kissinger won the longest event of the night, taking the 1000-yard freestyle at 10:52.04. Kiran George also got his first win, taking the 50-yard breaststroke at 28.10 seconds, beating junior teammate Nate Wauls by 0.01 seconds.

Also victorious on the men’s side were senior David Johnson in the 200-yard freestyle at 1:50.87, junior Kevin Noldy in the 50-yard backstroke at 26.94 seconds and graduate JC Greenwood in the 500-yard freestyle.

The women’s team started strong, finishing first and second in the 200-yard medley relay. The “A” team of junior Makennah Fickett, sophomore Charlee Shaw, graduate Laurel Gingrich and senior Gracie Wetzel won the event with a time of 1:53.79.

Fickett proved to be the star on the women’s side, as she also won three individual events across the meet. She won the 50-yard backstroke at 28.49 seconds, the 50-yard butterfly at 27.35 seconds and the 200-yard individual medley at 2:19.75.

Four other members of the women’s team won individual events, including Gingrich taking the 200-yard freestyle at 2:01.32. Shaw was victorious in the 50-yard breaststroke at 32.06 seconds.

Freshman Olivia Carver took her first NCAA victory, winning the 100-yard butterfly at 1:02.09. 

The final individual winner on the women’s team was sophomore Michelle Kubiak, taking the 100-yard backstroke at 1:04.68.

The women’s meet came down to the night’s final event, with the Golden Bears needing to finish first and second in the 200-yard freestyle relay to win. 

The team of Gingrich, Carver, freshman Elyse Arnold and freshman Emma Gerlinski placed second in the race  to secure an SU win.

Both teams will return to the pool on Saturday, facing Bloomsburg in a dual meet at home. The meet starts at Donald N. Miller Pool in Heiges Field House a 1 p.m.

Share