The William & Mary men's swimming team won four of seven events on Friday night at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships, breaking two school and one conference record along the way. The Tribe extended its lead to over 125 points, 623.5 - 498, with Drexel second and UNCW third at 422.5.
400 IM
- In the 400 IM, junior
Ben Skopic (Marriottsville, Md.) won his second-straight title in the event, stopping the clock in a lifetime-best 3:49.71. Skopic's time was an NCAA provisional qualifier, as well as the third-fastest race in school history. He now also ranks third all-time among Tribe athletes.
- Behind Skopic, his teammates
Chris Balbo (Short Hills, N.J.) and
Carter Kale (Williamsburg, Va.) gave W&M a sweep of the top three spots. Balbo swam a season-best 3:51.68 for second place and the ninth-fastest race ever at W&M, while Kale turned in a lifetime-best 3:53.73 for the bronze medal. Kale now ranks sixth all-time among athletes.
- Freshman
Kade Younger (Newport News, Va.) improved significantly in the consolation finals, dropping more than three seconds and improving to 12th overall with a time of 4:06.27.
100 Fly
- In the 100 fly, junior
Jack Doherty (Middletown, Conn.) earned all-conference honors with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 46.99 seconds. That was the second-fastest time in school history.
- His classmate
Ian Thompson (Alexandria, Va.) just missed the podium, but did swim a lifetime-best 48.12 for fourth overall. That was the 11th-fastest race ever, and he now ranks fourth in school history.
- Senior
Evan Baker (Chantilly, Va.) was eighth overall in 48.94 seconds, and
Jack Galbraith (Vienna, Va.) and
Joey Rento (Newport News, Va.) finished 13th and 15th in 49.58 seconds and 50.05 seconds, respectively.
200 Free
- Just like in the 400 IM, the Tribe swept the podium in the 200 free, with all three men coming in well ahead of the field and all three with lifetime-bests as well.
- Junior
Colin Wright (Williamsburg, Va.) led the way for his fourth gold medal of the weekend with a school record performance of 1:36.10, breaking the previous mark of 1:36.45 set by
Billy Russell '16 in his senior season. That was also an NCAA provisional qualifier for Wright, and marked the third Tribe win in the last four years in the 200 free.
- Finishing second was sophomore
Christopher Pfuhl (Charlotte, N.C.), who touched the wall in 1:37.38 for his lifetime-best. That was the seventh-fastest race ever, and ranks Pfuhl fifth all-time among Tribe athletes.
- Senior
Eric Grimes (Louisville, Ky.) was right behind Pfuhl in 1:37.92 for third place and All-CAA honors. His was the 12th-fastest race ever at W&M, and ranks Grimes eighth all-time among Tribe athletes.
| Place |
Athlete |
Time |
Notes |
| 1. |
Colin Wright |
1:36.10 |
Champion, School Record, NCAA Provisional |
| 2. |
Christopher Pfuhl |
1:37.38 |
All-CAA, PB, #7 perf, #5 ath |
| 3. |
Eric Grimes |
1:37.92 |
All-CAA, PB, #12 perf, #8 ath |
100 Breast
- In the 100 breast, sophomore
Devin McNulty (Herndon, Va.) tied for second overall just 0.01 behind the champion, swimming a lifetime-best 54.41 seconds. It was the fifth-fastest race in school history, and ranks McNulty second all-time at W&M.
- Junior
Ian Bidwell (Pelham, N.Y.) cut huge time over the course of the day, finishing fourth overall with a lifetime-best 54.68 seconds. That was the sixth-fastest race in school history, and he now ranks third all-time among Tribe athletes.
- Senior
Brooks Peterson (Carrollton, Va.) was seventh overall in 55.15 seconds, the 16th-fastest race ever at W&M.
- Freshman
Ryan Bebel (Westfield, N.J.) swam a lifetime-best 56.21 in the consolation finals, improving to 10th overall in the competition as well as all-time at W&M.
100 Back
- Junior
Colin Demers (Virginia Beach, Va.) won his first individual championship on Friday night, becoming the first W&M athlete since 2014 to win the 100 back. He swam a lifetime-best 48.04 seconds for the win, the ninth-fastest race in school history and now ranks third all-time among Tribe athletes.
- Sophomore
Jake Kealy (Wilton, Conn.) swam a collegiate-best 48.81 for fourth overall, improving to fifth all-time among Tribe athletes.
- Also in the championship finals,
Lee Bradley (Crestwood, Ky.) took fifth overall with a lifetime-best 49.26 seconds, and the freshman Galbraith swam 49.77 for seventh place. Bradley's time moved him all the way up to eighth in school history.
400 Medley Relay
W&M set the conference and school records last year in 3:13.29, and brought back the same four legs this year while swimming in an outside line. That proved to be no hindrance at all, as the Tribe shattered the old records by more than two full seconds and won its fourth-straight championship in 3:11.06. Demers led off in 48.23, seizing the lead on the first 25 and never giving it up all the way to end. Next in the water was McNulty, who swam the breast leg in 54.08 before giving way to Doherty. The junior swam the fastest 100 fly leg in the entire field, 46.47, and made the final exchange with Wright with W&M more than a second ahead of its opponents. Wright's swim was a marvel, splitting 19.72 on his first 50 and 42.28 for his full anchor leg and the win. The Tribe has so far won all four relays this week and 10 in a row dating back to 2017.
The final day of the CAA Championships begins on Saturday at 10 a.m., with prelims in the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, and 200 fly.
2019 CAA Men's Swimming & Diving Championships
Team Standings (14 of 20 Events Scored)
1. William & Mary 623.5
2. Drexel 498
3. UNCW 422.5
4. Towson 380
5. Delaware 102
