After a tough 0-4 start for both the men’s and women’s swimming teams, Saturday’s performances finally provided positive results, with a long list of broken records and personal bests.
The men’s team placed fourth out of nine squads at the Patriot Invitational, earning 495 points in the process. The women scored 762 points en route to a second-place finish, while the host team, George Mason, took home two first-place finishes.
The women began the weekend’s competition in style, sporting a squad for the 400-yard medley relay that achieved both a first-place victory at the Patriot Invitational and a new GW record – 3:48.65. The team was comprised of seniors Lindsay Moore and Sydney Saunders and juniors Janica Lee and Morgan Zebley.
It was just the beginning of a record-breaking weekend for the women’s team.
Senior Remy Neville and freshmen Carly Whitmer followed up the record-breaking performance with ones of their own, in the 200-yard breaststroke and butterfly, respectively. Neville broke a 21-year-old GW record with a 2:20.06 finish, while Whitmer squashed a 10-year-old record with a time of 2:02.49
Freshman Lauren Law broke the 400-yard IM record, previously held by Neville, Friday with a 4:24.76 first-place swim. Myers, Law, sophomore Madison Reineker.
Senior Caroline Myers continued an impressive season by posting first-place finishes in the 500-yard and 1,650-yard freestyle events.
For the men, junior Garrett Cottingham placed first in the 200-yard breaststroke on Saturday, finishing with a time of 2:04.84. This followed Cottingham’s 0:57.39 first-place finish in the 100-yard event Friday. Junior transfer Goran Koprivnjak continued a successful first season with GW by winning the 200-yard butterfly with a season-best 1:50.76. Together, the two swimmers have churned out consistent performances throughout the season, providing some stability for the GW men.
Sophomore Oliver Keegan also swam well in the Invitational, picking up a pair of second-place finishes in the 200-yard butterfly – a season best for Keegan – as well as in the 500-yard freestyle.
Both teams showed noticeable improvement at the Patriot Invitational, having had a short break since their last meet against Towson two weeks ago. The program will trek to Puerto Rico for its annual winter break trip, undergoing some intensive training as the swimmers look towards Atlantic 10 Championships in February.
This post was updated Nov. 25, 2013 to reflect the following:
Correction appended
The Hatchet incorrectly reported that that the women’s team broke five school records. They broke four and did not set a record in the 800 free relay.
