The GW men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams enjoyed their last home meet Saturday at the Smith Center, as both teams ended the regular season with victories against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
The Colonial men defeated UMBC 124-106, placing first in nine of 13 events, while the Colonial women placed first in 10 of 13 events, winning 133-100 over UMBC.
The teams have three weeks to prepare for the Atlantic 10 Championships Feb. 18-20 in Buffalo, N.Y.
“Mentally we’re set up where we can approach the A-10s with confidence,” GW head coach Dan Rhinehart said.
Leading the Colonial men to victory Saturday with two first-place finishes each were juniors Juan Bocanegra and Tim Champney and sophomore Wes Teter.
Bocanegra took the 200-yard individual medley by almost four seconds (1:52.71) and edged out the competition in the 100-yard freestyle (:46.37). Champney sprinted to victory in the 50-yard freestyle (:21.11) and dominated the 200-yard backstroke (1:50.76) by more than five seconds. Teter excelled in the long-distance events, winning both the 200-yard freestyle (1:42.63) and the 500-meter freestyle (4:41.75).
The men also won both relays. GW started the meet by placing first in the 400-meter medley relay (3:26.02) and later won the 400-meter freestyle relay.
“We look to Tim and Juan for leadership,” Rhinehart said of the past two A-10 swimmers of the year. “But to be successful, the people in the trenches have to swim well, too.”
“We’re ready for the A-10s,” freshman Doug Parave said. “We’ve come together well as a team and we’re up and cheering for each other.”
The Colonial women were led by a long-distance swimmer, junior Jennifer Skinner, who had first-place finishes in the 1000-meter freestyle (10:32.38) and the 500-meter freestyle races (5:12.92). Senior Kristen Janeczek finished first in the 100-meter freestyle (:53.76) and the 200-meter freestyle (1:54.36) in her last home meet at GW.
Also posting first-place finishes for the Colonial women were sophomore Brandyn Roark, who took the 50-meter freestyle (:24.37), freshman Jocelyn Finch, who won the 200-meter individual medley (2:11.08), junior Rachel Smith, winning the 200-meter backstroke (2:06.59), and freshman Nell Friar, who stole the 200-meter breaststroke by her fingertips (2:26.36).
“The ladies are looking real good, they’re doing a great job,” Rhinehart said. “I’m really pleased with the way they’re coming through. And I’ve said it all year, I think our women’s team is going to be a pleasant surprise at the A-10s.”
