THE BASICS:
-Event: WPI Gompei Invitational
-Results: 1st of 11 Teams
-Location: Worcester, Mass. (@ WPI)
-The Lead: Led by five first-place performances in a field of 11 schools, the Assumption College swimming and diving team claimed its second-straight WPI Gompei Invitational Championship on Sunday evening. The Hounds posted 12 top-three finals performances over the weekend en route to the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
-Senior Victoria Weber (Augusta, Maine / Cony) led the Hounds in the competition, registering three gold-medal performances that combined for 120 points. She broke her own Assumption program record in the 100 IM with her time of 1:00.22, surpassing her previous record of 1:00.51.
-Weber's other two victories came in the 100 and 200 backstroke events. She touched the wall in 58.56 in the 100 backstroke for the win after finishing second in the prelims and completed the 200 back in a time of 2:05.79. She was followed in the event by sophomore Niamh Morgan (Bettystown, Ireland / Sacred Heart School) in 2:08.32, good for third place.
-Morgan won two events of her own on the weekend, kicking off individual competition with a win in the 200 IM with her season-best time of 2:08.92. She was followed in the event by Weber who touched third in 2:10.11.
-In the 400 IM, Morgan clocked a time of 4:32.69 for 40 points for the Hounds and a victory.
-Freshman Shannon Quirk (Wakefield, Mass. / Wakefield Memorial) also performed well on the weekend, registering two top-three finishes. She earned a silver medal in the 500 freestyle relay with her time of 5:05.35 to qualify for the NCAA DII B cut. She also placed third in the 200 freestyle with her time of 1:56.07, just less than two seconds behind the lead swimmer from Stevens.
-Three other Hounds registered individual bronze medals including sophomore Courtney Barr (Waltham, Mass. / Matignon), junior Rachel Lanam (Sebastian, Fla. / Sebastian River) and junior Rachel Gagnon (Tolland, Conn. / Tolland). Barr clocked a time of 59:48 in the 100 fly while Lanam finished the 1,650 freestyle in 17:56.41 and Gagnon touched the wall in the 50 breaststroke in 31.76. Both Barr and Lanam notched season-best times in their events while Gagnon's outing in the 50 breast was her first this season.
-In relay events, the Hounds earned three top-five finishes. Assumption kicked off competition in the 800 freestyle relay with a fifth-place finish (7:53.14) among 20 squads to qualify for finals. The team consisted of sophomore Carylyn Waite (Tampa, Fla. / Tampa Prep), Quirk, junior Tricia Lee (Norwood, Mass. / Norwood) and freshman Morgan Nicholls (East London, South Africa / Clarendon).
-The Assumption 400 medley relay squad, consisting of Weber, Gagnon, Barr and Morgan finished fourth with its time of 4:04.75 while the Greyhound 200 medley relay squad also placed fourth in 1:50.47. That foursome was made up of Weber, Gagnon, Barr and sophomore Bella Omobono (Chelmsford, Mass. / Chelmsford).
-Assumption claimed the win with a final total of 2,826.50 points, followed in second by division I Bryant University (2,783.50). Stevens Institute of Technology placed third (2,596) while WPI (2,256) and Roger Williams University (1,714.50) rounded out the top five.
BEHIND THE RESULTS:
-Quirk continues to rank in the top 20 in division II in the country in two events. Following the URI Invitational on Nov. 21, the freshman holds steady at 16th in the country in the 1,000 freestyle with her time of 10:29.61 and 17th in the 1,650 free with a time of 17:22.60.
UP NEXT:
-The Hounds are off for the remainder of 2015 and will resume action on Friday, Jan. 15, for a two-day competition at the Worcester City Championships hosted by Holy Cross. The Hounds have won the last three Worcester City Championships and look to defend their title.
STAY CONNECTED:
-For the latest on Assumption College Athletics, follow the Hounds via social media on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. For more information, contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 508-767-7240.
-Fans can also sign up for email updates and text message alerts for the women's swimming and diving team and all of the other 23 Assumption varsity sports by clicking here.