Swimming and Diving

Record-Setting Performances Highlight Second Day of Championship

SCSU's Kennedy and 200 Free Relay Stand Out

WORCESTER, Mass. - Southern Connecticut's Molly Kennedy set the pace on Friday night of the Northeast-10 Conference Swimming & Diving Championship at the WPI Sports & Recreation Center. She broke the 50 Free record not once - but twice - while setting NCAA B-Cut times along the way to help extend her team's lead in the standings.

The Owls remained atop the men's standings too, as McAllistar Milne and Franklin Kuhn each secured first-place finishes in the 200 IM and 50 Free, respectively. Adelphi crept closer though, led by Tristan Weingarten in the 500 Free and Ryan Kakimseit breaking his own Championship and Open records in the 100 Back, as part of the 400 Medley Relay. 

MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING

Adelphi and SCSU took turns winning gold medals on Friday night, as the Panthers grabbed three first-place finishes to the Owls' two - but trail in overall points heading into the weekend. 

Adelphi started the night on a strong note, finishing first in the 200 Free Relay in a time of 1:22.46 by Valerii Pidhoretskyy, Ryan Kakimseit, Eric Slavin and Tristan Weingarten. In the 500 Free, Weingarten would capture more gold with a swim of 4:36.43. 

SCSU would strike back in the 200 IM as Milne held off Adelphi's Cooper Rivers with a swim of 1:50.70 and Kuhn bested Pidhoretskyy in the 50 Free by just .13 seconds.

In the final men's race of the night, Adelphi won the 400 Medley Relay behind a record-setting effort from Kakimseit - who swam the opening leg in a time of 49.06. The mark broke his previous Championship and Open record of 49.26. 

On the diving board, it was Staten Island's Yubal Parra who stood tall - scoring 497.85 to win gold in men's 1-meter diving. 

1. SCSU - 341 points
2. Adelphi - 306 points
3. Bentley - 265 points
4. Saint Michael's - 187 points
5. Staten Island - 159 points
6. Assumption - 94 points
7. Pace - 79 points

WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING

SCSU started the night with three record-setting performances in the 200 Free Relay alone, as Kennedy broke the Championship record for her 50 Free (23.32) while her relay team set a Championship and Open record with a time of 1:34.60. It would not be the last time that Kennedy wrote her name in the NE10 record book. 

Later in the night, Kennedy broke her new 50 Free record with a swim of 23.22 - a Championship and Open record, as well as an NCAA B-Cut. 

Kennedy's performance helped SCSU jump out to a sizable lead in the point standings, which was aided by a first-place finish for the Owls in the 400 Medley Relay (Julia Pitchell, Allyson Quitos, Justice Glasgow, Ella Marzec) with a time of 3:52.45. 

Pace's Sophie Greko won the 500 Free (5:06.07), Bentley's Skyla Lang won the 200 IM (2:05.81) and Bentley's diving sensation Hilla Almog took the women's three-meter with a score of 429.40. 

1. SCSU - 444 points
2. Bentley - 293 points
3. Felician - 215 points
4. Adelphi - 159 points
5. Assumption - 139 points
6. Saint Michael's - 129 points
7. Staten Island - 114 points
8. Pace - 111 points

UP NEXT

The NE10 Swimming & Diving Championship continues on Saturday morning with preliminary races. All sessions of the Championship will be live streamed on NE10 NOW on FloSports. 

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 11 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season.  The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast-10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.