THE BASICS:
-Event: 2016 Northeast-10 Championships
-Results: 1st of 9 Teams (Day 4 - Final)
-Location: Worcester, Mass. (@ WPI)
-The Lead: The Assumption College swimming team clinched its third consecutive Northeast-10 Championship on Sunday evening at WPI. The Hounds accumulated a total of 796.50 points to edge Southern Connecticut by 36.5 points. Freshman Shannon Quirk (Wakefield, Mass. / Wakefield Memorial) kicked off the evening setting a new NE-10 record in the 1,650 freestyle.
Overall, the Hounds claimed a total of 15 medals over the four-day championships including four gold, two silver and nine bronze honors.
FINAL RESULTS
DAY 3 RESULTS
DAY 2 RESULTS
DAY 1 RESULTS
HOW IT HAPPENED:
-The Hounds performed exceptionally well in the 1,650 freestyle to kick off Sunday evening's finals. Quirk broke the NE-10 record with her time of 17:19.08 while rendering herself in the top 25 in Division II in the country. Quirk also surpassed the NCAA B cut with her time.
-Junior Rachel Lanam (Sebastian, Fla. / Sebastian River) also earned an NCAA B cut with her bronze-medal finish in the event. She clocked a time of 17:37.34 for 16 team points and was followed by freshman Shannon Fitzsimmons (Andover, Mass. / Andover) who finished fifth in 17:46.66.
-Lanam also came up with a huge first-place victory for Assumption in the 200 butterfly to keep the Hounds in the lead heading into the final events of the evening. The junior clocked a time of 2:07.98 for 20 team points followed by freshman Ali Petrozza (North Andover, Mass. / Austin Preparatory School) in fourth (2:12.03).
-Freshman Kelsey Kozikowski (Berlin, Conn. / Berlin) followed Petrozza in fifth with her time of 2:12.76 for 14 points.
-Sophomore Niamh Morgan (Bettystown, Ireland / Sacred Heart School) podiumed once again for the Hounds in the the 200 backstroke with her time of 2:07.51. She was followed closely by sophomore Courtney Barr (Waltham, Mass. / Matignon) who touched in 2:08.26, good for fourth.
-Junior Allie Wuerfl (Wayland, Mass. / Wayland) also placed in the top five for Assumption in the 100 freestyle. The junior earned 14 points for Assumption as the only Hound in the A final with her time of 53.65.
-Senior Rachel Ferris (Stephentown, N.Y. / Berlin) earned 12 more points for the Hounds in the 200 breaststroke, touching the wall in 2:29.50.
-Assumption clinched the overall victory with its performance in the 400 yard freestyle relay. The A squad finished fourth with its time of 3:35.67 while the team in the B final finished second in 3:39.72, which would have been good enough for seventh in the A final.
-The 400 freestyle relay A team consisted of senior Victoria Weber (Augusta, Maine / Cony), Wuerfl, freshman Morgan Nicholls (East London, South Africa / Clarendon) and Morgan while the B team was made up of Barr, Lanam, Ferris and freshman Caroline Cole (Highland Mills, N.Y. / Monroe Woodbury).
BEHIND THE RESULTS:
-Quirk's 1,650 freestyle time of 17:19.08 ranks her 24th in the nation in Division II and shatters her own Assumption program record of 17:22.60, in addition to breaking the previous NE-10 record of 17:20.43.
-Lanam's first-place time in the 200 butterfly was nearly three seconds faster than the time of last year's winner from Bentley (2:10.69), and close to two seconds faster than her prelim time of 2:09.82.
-This is the third time in as many years that the Hounds have brought the title back to Hound Nation.
-Assumption claimed a final overall total of 796.50, followed by Southern Connecticut in second with 760 and Bentley in third with 608.5. Pace finished fourth with an even 500 points while Le Moyne rounded out the top five with 475 points.
UP NEXT:
-The Hounds currently await decision on NCAA qualifiers. The NCAA Championships are scheduled for March 9-12 at the University of Indianapolis.
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.
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