Flash Finish Second out of Six at 2008 Northeast Conference Championships;
Highest Ever Placing Ever at NECs
New Haven, Conn. – The Saint Francis University swimming team jumped into Yale University’s Kiphuth Pool, claiming second place out of six teams, at the 2008 Northeast Conference Championships. Saint Francis’ second place finish is their highest finish ever in the conference championships. As far as SFU’s highest finish goes in the season-concluding meet, Saint Francis claimed first place out of six squads in the Metropolitan Swimming Conference Championships in 1997.
Despite the fact no Red Flash paddler collected any individual victories through 20 events, Saint Francis performed valiantly throughout its entire roster in the three days of competition starting on Friday, February 14th and concluding on Saturday, February 16th.
Through the first two days of competition, Saint Francis remained in third place (despite trailing Wagner by a half point after day two.). The Flash battled strong in the concluding day, carving out a second place spot.
Central Connecticut State dominated the event from day one, capturing 18 out of 20 of the NEC Championships’ events, and winning their first NEC title since 2001.
In day one of the Northeast Conference Championships, SFU’s quartet of sophomore Elise Merrill (Carlisle, Pa./Big Spring), senior Sirae Riley (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest), sophomore Blair Kosela (Crescent, Pa./Moon Area) and senior Jenn Jeffreys (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township) turned in a third place finish for the day’s first event, the 200 yard freestyle relay. Their clock of 1:38.91 handed the Flash 24 points. That specific time of 1:38.91 also bested Saint Francis’ all-time record for the 200 freestyle relay set on February 17, 2005.
Event two, the 500 yard freestyle, had two members of the Red Flash turn in a collective 16 points for the overall SFU effort. Junior Kaitlin McDonald (Olney, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross) tallied a sixth place finish for nine points with her time of 5:15.39, bettering her all-time top she set on February 15, 2007 when she raced for a 5:16.05 clip. Junior Cara Morgan (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) hit the wall for a seventh place time of 5:14.40, earning SFU seven points.
Sophomore Kristen Low (Mississauga, Ontario/Cawthra Park S.S.) hauled in 10 points in the 200 yard individual medley, finishing in fifth place with a pace of 2:13.46. Junior Jenna Raptosh (Akron, Pa./Ephrata) placed ninth with her tempo of 2:15.46, freshman Elyse Dobrick (Zelienople, Pa.) took home tenth by finishing up in 2:17.13 and sophomore Erin Collins (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) stood in eleventh with a time of 2:19.36. Raptosh, Dobrick and Collins netted four, three and two points, respectively for the Red Flash.
The NEC Championship’s fourth event, the 50 yard freestyle, had Jenn Jeffreys place the highest of all SFU swimmers. Jeffreys sprinted for a fifth place time of 25.11, good enough for 10 points. Sirae Riley touched the pad nanoseconds behind her teammate at 25.16 for seventh place (six points) and Blair Kosela produced four points by finishing ninth place with a dash of 25.20.
In the 400 yard medley relay, Saint Francis came in fourth place, churning out 22 points for the Red Flash’s efforts. The team of junior Katie Snyder (Dayton, Ohio/Butler), Elise Merrill, Elise Dobrick and Blair Kosela finalized a time of 4:08.12 for the Red Flash’s final event of day one.
Day two started off well for the Red Flash, as the foursome of sophomore Elyse Peterman (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain), Elise Dobrick, Elise Merrill and Jenn Jeffreys took home second place in the 200 yard medley relay. Their rate of 1:49.98 grossed 26 points for the Flash. Their second place clip set a new Red Flash record, bettering the old 200 yard medley relay time of 1:50.41 set on February 17, 2006.
The 400 yard individual medley was witness to four SFU members scoring points. Kristen Low placed finished with the fastest clip for SFU, placing in third with a time of 4:39.36 for 12 points. Jenna Raptosh carved out a fifth place spot for 10 points by finishing up in 4:43.18. Kaitlin McDonald took down eighth place by swimming for a clip of 4:50.74, earning her team five points. In ninth place was junior Nicole Cassese (Wickliffe, Ohio/Gilmour Academy) with a four point effort of 4:51.14.
Elise Dobrick rattled off nine points in the 100 yard butterfly with her time of 1:00.11. Her sixth place time is now SFU’s third best time, overall, in that event. Elyse Peterman scored four points in ninth place by racing for a clip of 1:03.45 and Jenn Jeffreys rounded out the Flash’s endeavors in tenth place with a time of 1:05.19 for three points.
The 200 yard freestyle had freshman Melissa Heintz (Boyertown, Pa./Oley Valley) finish in fourth place with a time of 1:57.31, clearing 11 points for the Red Flash. Blair Kosela punched out five points with her eighth place time of 2:01.09. Cara Morgan brought in three points by swimming for a tenth place rate of 2:01.68 and Sirae Riley lagged right behind Morgan for two points in eleventh, finishing in 2:02.16.
Three top five finishes were taken home by the Flash in the 100 yard breaststroke. Elyse Peterman whipped up 12 points by finishing in third place with a time of 1:10.36. Katie Snyder finished in fourth, just centimeters behind Peterman with an 11 point finish of 1:10.48. Rounding out the top five was senior Stephanie Hozempa (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads), churning out 10 points for her fifth place clock of 1:11.20.
In the 12th event, Saint Francis netted 26 communal points. Elise Merrill lapped up 12 points by finishing in third with a time of 1:01.36. Junior Kaitlin Lyons (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) grabbed nine points for her sixth place clip of 1:03.13. Senior Alicia Vasiladis (Windsor, Ont./Saint Thomas) placed eighth with a pace of 1:03.07, good enough for five points.
A new Red Flash record was set in day two’s final event, the 800 yard freestyle relay. Saint Francis wrapped up the second day’s final event in third with a clip of 7:54.48, producing 24 Red Flash points. This time knocks off February 17, 2006’s time of 7:57.06.
The final day of competition started out with the long-winded 1,650 yard freestyle event. Cara Morgan’s 29 lengths of the pool garnered 10 points in a fifth place time of 17:46.08. Kaitlin McDonald swam up 10 seconds behind her counterpart, finishing in seventh place in a pace of 17:56.53. McDonald’s time supplied SFU with seven additional points.
Saint Francis made up some ground in the 200 yard backstroke with Kristen Low’s third place time of 2:13.65 for 12 points. In her final meet as a senior, Alicia Vasiladis acquired seven points for the Flash with a seventh place beat of 2:17.17. Behind Vasiladis, SFU reaped points through performances by Nicole Cassese (8th place – 2:17/50 – five points), Elise Merrill (2:19.42 – 10th place – three points) and Kaitlin Lyons (2:20.28 – 11th place – two points).
Sprinting for a second place time in the 100 yard freestyle was Melissa Heintz’s 13-point performance of 54.17. Blair Kosela gathered 11 points in fourth place with a clock of 54.63. Sophomore Stephanie O’Donnell (Prospect, Conn./Woodland Regional) contributed her first points of the meet in fifth place for 10 points by galloping for a time of 54.94. Sirae Riley’s seventh place rate of 55.33 harvested seven points and Jenn Jeffreys’s three points were collected through a 10th place finish in 56.40. Sophomore Erin Collins (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) tallied one point in 12th place by finishing up in 57.77.
Stephanie Hozempa and Jenna Raptosh finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 200 yard breaststroke. Hozempa’s 10-point performance of 2:34.47 was timed just two seconds ahead of Raptosh’s nine-pointer of 2:36.70. Katie Snyder turned in an eighth place effort 2:34.92 for five points as Elyse Peterman paddled in behind at ninth place for four points with a clock of 2:35.09.
For the 200 yard butterfly, Elyse Dobrick and Nicole Cassese furnished the Flash with 10 and seven points, in that order. Dobrick bolted for fifth place in 2:13.72 and Cassese finished up in seventh with a time of 2:17.92.
The NEC Championships final event, the invigorating 400 yard freestyle relay, slotted SFU in third place off the performances of Melissa Heintz, Sirae Riley, Blair Kosela and Stephanie O’Donnell. Their combined total pace of 3:37.34 gave the Flash 24 points; just what they needed to capture their highest placing ever in the Northeast Conference Championships.
The final results for the 2008 NEC Championships are as follows:
1. Central Conn. St. (649.5)
2. Saint Francis (Pa.) (457)
3. Wagner (436.5)
4. Sacred Heart (222)
5. St. Francis (NY) (132)
6. Mount St. Mary’s (126)