Women's Swimming & Diving 2/12/2017 3:30:00 AM Marist Athletics

Women's Swimming & Diving Wins MAAC

BUFFALO, New York – The Marist women's swimming and diving team won its eighth straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship Feb. 11 at Erie Community College's Burt Flickinger Athletic Center.

The Red Foxes placed first at the 10-team meet with 810 points to capture their 18th MAAC title, the most of any Marist team and a conference record. This year's MAAC title was the 30th overall for the Marist swimming and diving program since 1996. Between the Metro, MAAC and Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, the Marist men and women now have a total of 36 conference championships.

Marist remained in first place for the entire four-day meet reaching 279 points after two days and 532 points the following day.

Senior Meredith Wurtz won the 100-yard freestyle in 51.95 seconds and anchored Marist's second place 400-yard freestyle relay team. She was named the MAAC Women's Co-Outstanding Swimmer for the second straight year and shared the award with her relay teammate, junior Sara Nestrowitz.

Nestrowitz was one of four Red Fox swimmers to finish in the top five of the 1,650-yard freestyle, an event in which junior Shannon Gordon defended her MAAC supremacy by touching in 17:17.10. Nestrowitz came in second (17:22.47) followed by juniors Melanie Newton (17:22.61) and Deirdre Connor (17:23.53).

For the second year in a row junior Megan Berardelli was the conference's Women's Most Outstanding Diver. She won the 1-meter board with 258.00 points and took the top spot at three meters on Feb, 9 after racking up 291.35 points.

Larry VanWagner earned his eighth career MAAC Women's Swimming Coach of the Year honor to round out the major award winners for the Red Foxes.

Marist will compete at the 2017 ECAC Championships from March 3-5 in Annapolis, Maryland.

Final Team Scores

1. Marist College 810 points

2. Rider University 616 points

3. Canisius College 581 points

4. Iona College 469 points

5. Niagara University 328 points

6. Fairfield University 319 points

7. Siena College 289 points

8. Manhattan College 194 points

9. Monmouth University 122 points

10. Saint Peter's University 58 points

Day Four Final Results:

200-Yard Backstroke

3. Margaux Purvis – 2:05.65

4. Breann Lydon – 2:06.06

5. Isabella Biagioli – 2:07.96

100-Yard Freestyle

1. Meredith Wurtz – 51.95 seconds

2. Georgia Goldman – 52.20 seconds

200-Yard Breaststroke

10. Taylor Deubel – 2:31.21

12. Julia Solin – 2:32.12

200-Yard Butterfly

2. Jessica Miller – 2:08.16

6. Sarah Mosca – 2:11.884

16. Kate Mosca – 2:18.14

1-Meter Dive

1. Megan Berardelli – 258.00 points

4. Lauren Katz – 224.85 points

400-Yard Freestyle Relay

2. Goldman, Nestrowitz, Connor, Wurtz – 3:31.17

PRELIMINARIES

Marist had 11 competitors advance to either a consolation final or a top final on the last day of the meet. In the first event of the morning, the 200-yard backstroke, the Red Foxes sealed three spots in the final with junior Margaux Purvis, freshman Isabella Biagioli and senior Breann Lydon. Wurtz had the top time in the 100-yard freestyle followed by junior Georgia Goldman, who tied with Rider senior Ariana Palmer at 52.68 seconds.

On the diving boards Berardelli and sophomore Lauren Katz were the qualifiers for Marist.

Day Four Preliminaries Results:

200-Yard Backstroke

2. Margaux Purvis - 2:06.68

5. Isabella Biagioli – 2:07.76

8. Breann Lydon – 2:08.58

100-Yard Freestyle

1. Meredith Wurtz – 51.81 seconds

2. Georgia Goldman – 52.68 seconds*

17. Kelsey Forster – 54.59 seconds

200-Yard Breaststroke

9. Taylor Deubel – 2:29.59