Final Results (Day 3)
ANNAPOLIS, MD. (2/20/2010) – Colgate’s Lia Kunnapas (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) claimed the first league title of her young career while Erin McGraw (Penfield, N.Y.) posted her fifth career individual crown as the 2010 Patriot League Swimming and Diving Championships came to an end, Saturday evening at Lejeune Hall.
The Raiders, who were looking for their third-consecutive league title, finished third overall with 675.5 points, only 11.5 behind runner-up Bucknell. Navy was crowned as the victor after accumulating 887 points over the three-day span.
Kunnapas went into the final of the 200 back after swimming a preliminary best 2:01.38. Hours later, the freshman won the event by more than two seconds. Her time of 1:59.38 is the third best time in Colgate history and lowered the rookie record set last year by Erica Derlath (Garden City, N.Y.) and Sarah Button (Mendham, N.J.) of 2:01.24 at the league championships at Bucknell. Button climbed from eighth after the preliminary heats to a fourth-place finish with a 2:02.43. Senior Kim Siembieda (Narbeth, Pa.) was the third Raider to finish among the top 10 with a 10th place effort following a 2:05.82 performance.
In the event prior to the 200 back, Colgate posted 44 points in the 1650 free as five Raiders placed among the top 16. Derlath led the charge finishing second overall with a time of 16:51.08, the school’s third fastest time. The Raiders picked up eight and ninth place efforts from Erika Mortenson (Chesterfield, Mo.) and Jenna Daly (Garden City, N.Y.), while Emily Kelly (Potomac, Md.) and Caitlin Dwyer (Hicksville, N.Y.) touched in 11th and 16th respectively.
Colgate placed five among the top 11 and came away with 54.5 points in the 200 breast. Freshman Emma Santoro (Fall River, Mass.) touched with a time of 2:20.54 en route to a third-place finish. Senior Caitlin Curran (Alpharetta, Ga.) concluded her collegiate career tying for fifth (2:22.07), while Courtney Callahan (White Plains, N.Y.) finished in eighth (2:23.45). A pair of freshman rounded out the scoring in the event as Becca Murray (Wilmington, Del.) placed ninth overall and Maggie White (Baltimore, Md.) was two spots behind her rookie teammate in 11th.
The Raiders closed to within 20 points of Bucknell as it hit the “mother load” in points – four swimmers combined to tally 55 in the 200 fly. Led by McGraw and Caren Guyett (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), Colgate had four top-10 efforts. The junior won the event in 1:59.82, which lowered her previous record of 2:00.28 set last year. Guyett placed second with the seventh-best time at Colgate (2:02.9). It marked the second time during this year’s event in which Guyett had been apart of a first and second place performance by Colgate. Kelly and Kunnapas finished eighth and 10th respectively.
Freshman Kim Pilka (Great Falls, Va.) and Becky Fisher (Cooperstown, N.Y.) placed second (250.55) and eight (213.35) in one-meter diving. Three Raiders led by Kate Murphy (Williamsburg, Va.) placed among the top 14 in the 100 free. The senior posted a time of 52.12 in the final for an eighth place effort, while Siembieda, and Sarah Sciarrino (Buffalo, N.Y.) touched respectively in 10th and 14th place.
In the final event, the Raiders copped a second-place finish in the 400 free relay. The team of McGraw, Guyett, Siembieda, and Murphy posted the third best time in school history with a 3:25.62.
FINAL TEAM RESULTS: 1. Navy 887, 2. Bucknell 687, 3. Colgate 675.5, 4. Lehigh 317.5, 5. Army 311.5, 6. American 287.5, 7. Lafayette 162, 8. Holy Cross 155.