Final-event victories propel swimming and diving teams past Bentley

January 21, 2006

NORTON, MA- Saturday afternoon's swimming and diving dual meet came down to the final event for both the Wheaton College teams, as the Lyons knocked off Division II Bentley College at Balfour Natatorium. The Wheaton women captured a 145-143 decision and broke the school's single-season wins record by moving to 11-3, while the men recorded a 152-139 win and are 10-2.

In women's action, the Falcons held a 139-132 advantage heading into the final event of the day, the 200-yard freestyle relay. However, Wheaton's quartet of senior Courtney Catalano (Westford, MA/Westford Academy), junior Colleen Smith (Milford, CT/Lauralton Hall), sophomore Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) and freshman Caitlin Glover (Durham, NH/Berwick Academy) won the race in a time of 1:44.52, bettering Bentley's second-place team by 1.91 seconds.

With the squads tied at 143, the Lyons' team of senior Lauren Pcholinski (Old Saybrook, CT/Old Saybrook), junior Kristen Behrens (Uxbridge, MA/Uxbridge), sophomore Melinda Labranche (Dorchester, MA/John D. O'Bryant School) and freshman Casey Shanley (Rumson, NJ/Suffield Academy) won the meet for Wheaton by placing third, 3.0 seconds ahead of Bentley's fourth-place team.

Pratt also notched a pair of individual victories, including a school-record finish of 27.50 in the 50-yard butterfly, which eclipsed the mark she set last season against Bentley by 0.01 seconds. She also took first in the 200-yard butterfly in a time of 2:19.26. Sophomore Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) led Wheaton's individual swimmers with three wins, sweeping the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle competitions with times of 26.15, 56.40 and 2:02.75, respectively. Glover claimed first in the 50-yard backstroke in 30.15, while she, Miller and Pratt teamed with junior Cassie Bohn (Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa) to win the 200-yard medley relay in 1:56.48.

The men's race also provided an exciting conclusion, as Wheaton clung to a 139-135 lead heading into the 200-yard freestyle relay and clinched the dual meet victory by placing first in the event. Junior All-American Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering), sophomore Ryan Patch (Lexington, MA/Lexington) and freshmen Chris Romilly (Washington, DC/Saint Albans) and T.J. Sponzo (Simsbury, CT/Avon Old Farms) beat out the second-place team by 1.13 seconds, finishing in a time of 1:29.80.

Sophomore Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth) won a trio of individual events, including a 200-yard backstroke victory by 4.56 seconds over the second-place finisher in a time of 1:59.99. Jordan also tallied first-place showings with times of 24.53 in the 50-yard butterfly and 24.74 in the 50-yard backstroke, coming within 0.11 seconds of school records in each event.

Roberts swept the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle races for the second straight dual meet with times of 21.90, 47.98 and 1:49.87, respectively. Junior Matt Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) swam the 50-yard breaststroke in 27.87, just 0.02 seconds off a seven-year-old Wheaton record, and also won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:01.28. Hurley, Jordan, Sponzo and sophomore Joe Fowler (Farmington, ME/Mount Blue) teamed for a first-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay in 1:42.46.

Wheaton's squads host their final dual meet when the Lyons oppose New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.

Complete Results

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