Sweeney Sets Freshman Record at League Championships
Dan Sweeney broke a freshman record in the 50 free en route to a third place effort.
2/18/2010 10:25:08 PM
Prelims Finals
ANNAPOLIS, MD. (2/18/2010) – A freshman record in the 50 free was set and the second fastest 500 free time in the program’s history was recorded as the Colgate men’s swimming & diving team capped off the first day of competition at the Patriot League Championships, Thursday at Lejeune Hall on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Dan Sweeney (New Canaan, Conn.) erased his own freshman school record both in the preliminary and final heats. The freshman was the only rookie to qualify for the final in the 50 free. In the prelims, Sweeney ripped off a 21.06 to take the seventh seed into the final. His time of 20.95 in the final, which ranks fourth on the all-time Colgate list, was good enough for a third-place finish. Teammate Tucker Gniewek (Mountain Lakes, N.J.), a returning first team all-league performer in 2009, finished sixth with a 21.16, the seventh quickest time in school history. The junior had the fourth seeded time after the prelims with a 21.00.
Devon Healy (New Canaan, Conn.) placed 11th in the 500. After failing to qualify for the “A” final by four seconds with a 4:37.49, the junior returned and narrowly missed setting the Colgate school record by a mere .17 seconds. Healy, who finished 11th overall, posted the second fastest time in the program’s history with a 4:35.57, just a shade off the 4:35.40 set at last year’s event by Vince Hostoffer.
In the opening event, the foursome of Sweeney, Costas Hadjipateras (New Canaan, Conn.), Gniewek and Cameron Voell (Little Silver, N.J.) touched with a 1:23.87 in the 200 free relay, which placed them fourth. That time now ranks second on the Colgate list behind the 1:22.49 set at last year’s event.
In the night’s final event, the Raiders posted the fourth best time in school history. Gniewek combined with Teddy Perley (Harrison, N.Y.), Robert Rutkowski (Lititz, Pa.) and Hadjipateras to touch in sixth overall with a time of 3:27.69.
Navy jumped out to a commanding lead and will take a 145-point lead into the second day. The Midshipmen posted 317 points, while Bucknell is in a distant second with 172. Lehigh, Colgate and Army are all within seven points of one another. The Mountain Hawks are in fourth with 98, while the Raiders and Black Knights are tied for fifth with 91.