Submitted by Dominick Delello, Saint Michael’s College.
The Saint Michael’s College men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams each took home a first-place finish last weekend at the two-day, six-team North Country Invitational at the State University of New York at Potsdam. The men finished with 479 points, holding off second-place SUNY Potsdam by 10 to win their first-ever crown at the event, while the women tallied 507 points to win their third consecutive title and fourth in the last five years. The invitational was the final meet of the fall leg of the season for the Purple Knights, as the men head into the second semester with a 1-2 dual record, while the women own a 1-3 mark.
On the men’s side, junior Connor Hopkins (Windham, N.H./Windham) set two individual program records and was part of three record-breaking relay performances, while recording seven wins and passing the 50-win milestone for his career, ending the weekend with 52. On Friday, Hopkins joined senior Pat Thornton (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence), sophomore Payton Stewart (Keene, N.H./Keene), and first-year Sean McGurn (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) in winning the 400-yard medley relay (3:36.88) and breaking the program record by 2.7 seconds. During Hopkins’ 100-yard backstroke leg of the race, his time of 52.12 clipped a four-year-old record by 0.07 seconds. Hopkins also won the 50-yard freestyle (21.14) and the 200 back (1:57.00), with his 200 back time bettering a three-year-old school record by 1.33 seconds. He combined with Stewart, senior Seamus Butler (Waltham, Mass./Waltham), and first-year William Sullivan (Arlington, Va./Bishop O’Connell) for a 1:28.20 win in the 200 free relay, breaking the 10-year-old record by 1.46 seconds. Thornton claimed the 100-yard butterfly (54.54), while junior Aidan Mulderrig (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) finished 0.45 seconds behind him for second place. McGurn tied for second in the 100-yard breaststroke, while Butler tied for fourth. First-year Nate Imbergamo (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) was runner-up in both the 200 back and 500 free, while Thornton placed fourth and McGurn finished fifth during the 500 free. Stewart nabbed a third-place finish in the 50 free, while Sullivan grabbed fifth. Senior Tim Kinville (Colchester, Vt./Missisquoi Valley Union) notched a third-place finish in the one-meter dive, while sophomore Dan Fortier (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich) finished third in the 200 fly. The Purple Knights’ 400 medley relay B team of Butler, Imbergamo, Mulderrig, and Sullivan placed third, coming within 0.90 seconds of second place, and defeating three schools’ A squads. Imbergamo, Mulderrig, Thornton, and first-year Myron Prograis (Etters, Pa./Cedar Cliff) claimed third in the 200 free relay.
Going into the final event on Saturday, the men were up by only two points on the Bears, but the quartet of Hopkins, Mulderrig, Stewart, and Sullivan clinched the invitational win with a triumph in the 400 free relay (3:13.78), shattering the school record by 4.07 seconds in the process. Hopkins also won the 100 free (47.70) and partnered with McGurn, Sullivan, and Thornton to win the 200 medley relay (1:39.58). Stewart and Sullivan grabbed third and fifth places in the 100 free, respectively. McGurn set a program record in the 200 breast (2:16.84), beating the old record by 1.28 seconds, while taking second in the race. Butler took sixth in the 200 breast, finishing 0.40 seconds outside of the top five. Mulderrig tallied a second-place finish in the 400-yard individual medley and a third-place showing in the 200 fly, with Thornton finishing in fourth in the latter. Imbergamo was the runner-up in the 1,650 free and paired with Butler, Prograis, and Thornton for fourth in the 400 free relay. Butler, Fortier, Mulderrig, and Stewart also grabbed a fourth-place finish, this time in the 200 medley relay, where they came within 0.54 seconds of third.
On the women’s side, senior Patty Kohn (Weston, Conn./Greenwich) shattered two of her own school records, while posting six wins that helped her pass the 80-win mark for her career, finishing the weekend with 82. Both of her records came on Friday during the 1,650 free, which she won in 18:04.90 to best her program mark by 7.35 seconds. She completed her opening 1,000 leg in 10:51.99, shattering her record of 11:00.43. Junior Reiley Adelson (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) finished second in the race, while classmate Megan Reid (Winchester, Mass./Winchester) took fifth. Kohn partnered with senior Tess Grimaldi (Higganum, Conn./Haddam-Killingworth) and juniors Lauren Giampietro (Watertown, Conn./Watertown) and Sarah White (Lakeville, Mass./Apponequet Regional) to win the 200 free relay (1:44.21). The quartet also finished second in the 400 medley relay, losing by 0.41 seconds. Adelson won the 500 free (5:40.31), while junior Sarah Brennan (Glen Rock, N.J./Immaculate Heart Academy) took fifth. Giampietro finished as the runner-up in the 100 breast, while sophomore Meg Geschwind (Rochester, Minn./Mayo) claimed fifth, 0.44 seconds ahead of classmate Kristin Burlew (Springfield, Vt./Hartford) and 0.60 ticks in front of junior Katie Valle (Weston, Mass./Weston). White notched a second-place finish in the 100 fly (1:03.08), finishing a mere 0.02 seconds behind the victor, while Grimaldi finished fifth. Grimaldi also took third in the 50 free, while senior Elizabeth Doherty (Dedham, Mass./Dedham) placed fourth. Sophomore Leah Benoit (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) took fourth in the 200 IM and finished third in the 200 back, just 0.08 seconds ahead of fourth-place senior Meg Flanagan (Middletown, R.I./The Prout School/Boston College). The Purple Knights’ second 200 free relay team of Adelson, Benoit, Doherty, and Flanagan finished fourth, while Benoit, Burlew, Doherty, and Geschwind combined for fifth in the 400 medley relay.
On Saturday, Giampietro, Grimaldi, Kohn and White combined for a pair of relay triumphs, taking the 200 medley relay (1:55.19) and the 400 free relay (3:47.72). Kohn earned individual wins in the 100 back (1:02.76) and 200 free (1:57.37) and was followed by White in fourth, Flanagan in fifth, and Benoit in sixth in the 100 back. White claimed the 200 fly (2:20.82), while Giampietro captured the 200 breast (2:35.38) with Geschwind behind her in fifth. Giampietro finished second in the 400 IM, while Geschwind took third. Grimaldi was fourth in the 100 free, while Adelson landed a fourth-place finish in the 200 free. Adelson also partnered with Benoit, Doherty, and Flanagan as a B squad for fourth in the 400 free relay, besting two schools’ A foursomes. First-year Maggie King (Clinton, Conn./Mercy) finished fifth in the one-meter dive.
