Kingsport, Tenn. —- Catawba College Head Women's Swimming Coach Matthew Gearing was named South Atlantic Conference Women's Swimming Coach of the Year and senior Marit Reckmann earned the league's Elite 23 Award for highest cumulative GPA on the final day of the SAC Championships. Catawba's women finished as the runner-ups by a mere eight points, matching their best finish in program history.
HOW IT HAPPENED
1650-Yard Freestyle
- Fiona Byrne claimed her third consecutive SAC title in the Women's 1650 Freestyle, clearing the field by nine seconds with a mark of 16:58.53
- Danielle Meinema earned the runner-up in the event with a time of 17:07.74
- Ella Gutenwik and Jolina Franke made it four Catawba Indians in the top eight with placings of fourth and eighth, respectively
100-Yard Freestyle
- Reckmann successfully defended her title in the Women's 100 Free with a time of 50.31
- Fernanda Regina, Eniko Onofer and Clara Campo made the championship final half Catawba swimmers – they finished fourth, fifth and eighth, respectively
200-Yard Backstroke
- Eszter Pajor placed as the runner-up in the Women's 200 Back with a mark of 2:01.71
- Ash Fortin and Makayla Bazeley competed in the championship final as well, finishing sixth and seventh
200-Yard Breaststroke
- Senior Gabriella Moll broke the school record in the Women's 200 Breaststroke, clearing the field by nearly two seconds with a time of 2:15.29
- She edged out fellow teammate Sydney McKenzie, who beat out her nearest competitor by over two seconds with a swim of 2:17.23
- Mahee Laury-Goret placed fourth with a time of 2:19.31
400-Yard Freestyle Relay
- Catawba's 400 Free Relay team of Reckmann, Regina, Onofer and Meinema closed out the week strong with the meet record in the event with a mark of 3:21.91, over two seconds over Wingate's team
UP NEXT
- Catawba swimmers looking to reach marks to qualify for the NCAA Championships will head to the Emory Last Chance Invite in Atlanta Feb. 20-21
