Women's Swimming 2/22/2024 10:22:18 AM

Women's Swimming Championship Preview

The 29th annual Centennial Conference women's swimming championship begins Thursday night at Gettysburg's Bullets Pool in Gettysburg, Pa. The four-day event opens with the 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay on Thursday night at 7 p.m., with action continuing through Sunday. The Friday through Sunday schedule will feature prelims at 10 a.m. each morning followed by final at 6 p.m. inside Bullets Pool.

Two-time defending champion Swarthmore is once again the favorite following an unblemished 7-0 Centennial dual record. The Garnet are currently ranked 16th in the most recent College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) poll, while Gettysburg is 20th. Gettysburg secured a 6-1 dual meet record vs. CC opponents, while Franklin & Marshall (5-2) and Urinus (4-3) also posted winning records.

Gettysburg holds more CC titles (15) than all of the other teams combined in the history of the championship meet. Ursinus (6), Swarthmore (4) and F&M (3) each have multiple conference crowns since the inaugural Centennial championship in 1994.

Eight individual champions are back looking for repeat or in some instances three-peat performances this weekend. Ursinus' Missy Leonard is the defending Most Outstanding Performer of the championship meet and will aim for three-peats in three freestyle events - the 200, 500 and 1650. Leonard was also named Swimmer of the Year in the conference last winter in a vote among CC coaches that includes performances from both the regular season and CC championship.

Swarthmore's Sophie Rotival will also vie for a three-peat as the reigning back-to-back champion in the 100 breaststroke. Rotival was also the 200 breastroke champion back in 2022 before claiming silver in that event last year. Other swimmers looking for repeat individual golds include Gettysburg's Olivia Pyott (200 breaststroke) and Swarthmore's Quinn Weygandt (200 IM, 400 IM), Elle Anthony (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle), Erin Szuromi (100 backstroke), Ashley Wong (100 butterfly in 2022) and Annaliese Chen (200 butterfly in 2022).

Four Centennial records having been set so far during the 2023-24 campaign, including two by Weygandt. The sophomore standout for Swarthmore set new CC standards in both the 200 IM (2:03.68) and 400 IM (4:25.38) at Ware Pool in early December. Weygandt also owns the CC championship marks in both events, set at the 2023 meet. The other two conference records set this season were by Gettysburg relay teams, with the 200 freestyle team of Mia Yancey, Olivia Evans, Valerie Lawton and Delaney Reck posting a time of 1:34.42 on December 1 and the 400 freestyle relay team of Yancey, Reck, Mia Morreale and Lawton touching in 3:27.83 last weekend.

Other active swimmers that hold either individual conference or championship meet records entering this year's championship include Swarthmore's Anthony (CC & championship record in 100 freestyle), Rotival (CC & championship record in 100 breaststroke), and Ursinus' Leonard (championship record in 200 freestyle).

Swarthmore's Genine Collins and Weygandt currently hold marks that rank in the top-10 nationally entering the weekend. Collins has the seventh-best time in the 50 freestyle (23.30) while Weygandt has the ninth-best time in the 200 IM (2:03.68).