SUNY New Paltz Swim Teams Remain In Top 5 at SUNYAC Meet

BUFFALO, NY — With the completion of the second day of competition at the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championship Meet the women’s team is currently in third place with 372 team points, while the men’s team is in place with fifth place with 195 team points. This evening’s events included the second round of finals at the Burt Flickinger Athletic Center on the campus of Erie Community College.

The SUNY New Paltz women’s team received a SUNYAC Championship in the 200-yard Medley Relay and the 200-yard freestyle. Consisting of junior Katie Rapp (Liverpool, NY), sophomore Laura Lipp (St. James, NY), sophomore Liz Ruggiero (Congers, NY) and senior Joanna Masterson (Canandaigua, NY), the SUNY New Paltz relay team swam to a first place finish, and a varsity record in the 200-yard medley relay, with a time of 1:51.15, earning 40 points. Masterson, already a SUNYAC Champion in the 50-yard freestyle, and Ruggiero each set records in their respective individual events. Masterson earned her second championship of the meet and set a new meet record in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:56.90, earning 20 points. Ruggiero grabbed a fourth place finish in the 100-yard butterfly with a varsity record time of 1:00.62, earning 15 points. Freshman Erica Ellis (Barneveld, NY) finished the 100-yard butterfly in sixth (1:02.12), good for 13 points.

The men’s team had two swimmers earn points in the 400-yard individual medley. Sophomore John Fleckenstein (Port Jefferson, NY) and freshman Chris Smith (Suffern, NY) touched third (4:16.28) and seventh (4:26.77), respectively, earning SUNY New Paltz 28 points in the event.

The women’s team earned 62 points in the 100-yard breaststroke. Sophomore Regina Davide (Ossining, NY) led six SUNY New Paltz swimmers with a second place finish (1:09.33). Lipp finished in fourth place (1:09.75), as freshman Joelle Hopf (Vestal, NY) finished seventh (1:11.24), Ellis finished ninth (1:10.83), junior Christina Magill (Paughquag, NY) finished 11th (1:13.81) and junior Beth Ann Salter (Long Beach, NY) finished 14th (1:17.26). Four Hawks combined for 39 points in the 100-yard backstroke. Rapp, freshman Samantha Graham (West Islip, NY), junior Ashley Williamson (Holland Patent, NY), and junior Liz Delia (Oswego, NY) finished fourth (1:02.07), eighth (1:03.42), tenth (1:02.96), and 11th (1:03.02), respectively.

Both SUNY New Paltz swim teams received fifth place finishes, earning 28 points each, in the 800-yard freestyle relay. For the women, Delia, Hopf, freshman Beth Colebeck (Rochester, NY) and Ruggiero teamed for a time of 8:15.70, as Fleckenstein, freshman Chad Santa Maria (Rexford, NY), Smith, and freshman Jimmy Ireland (Bergen, NY) joined to touch in 7:28.44. The men?s relay team of freshman Kevin Kent (Beacon Falls, CT), sophomore Nick Johnson (Highland Mills, NY), senior Jeff Melton (Acworth, GA) and sophomore Mike Demerest (Long Beach, NY) swam to a sixth place finish (1:41.43) in the 200-yard medley relay, earning 26 points. Johnson finished fifth (1:00.65) in the 100-yard breaststroke, earning 14 points for the men.

The SUNY New Paltz swim teams will compete in the third and final day of events at the SUNYAC Championship Meet. Session five will begin tomorrow, Saturday, February 11, at 10:00 am and will consist of the third round of preliminary heats.

Complete results for this weekends meet can be viewed at the following website:

http://www.starswimming.org/results/sunyac/index.htm