Cougars Land at 3rd for Men's & Women's Team
BUFFALO, NY - The Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving teams competed this last weekend at the Region III Northeast District Championships. The men took third among all that competed with a total score of 376 and the women tied for third at 329, losing second by only 37 points to an intense battle against Monroe.
For the Men, Caleb Henning had a solid effort, placing second in the 200-yard freestyle (1:59.78) and 1650-yard freestyle (18:45.70). Henning also had a solid swim in the 500-yard freestyle (5:22.27), placing second.
Jett Davis also had a big contribution, placing third in the 100-yard freestyle (53.07), fourth in the 50-yard freestyle (24.07), and swimming in several relay events to give GCC an extra push.
Joshua Beardsley placed first in the 100-yard butterfly (1:01.00) and third in the 200-yard IM (2:17.91), demonstrating his ability in all strokes. Beardsley also competed in the 50-yard butterfly (27.79), placing third.
In the breaststroke events, Owen Dunbar was third in the 50-yard breaststroke (32.80) and fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:12.48). Ethan Merrill followed closely, finishing fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:40.44), contributing points to the final score of GCC.
Thomas Strzelec showed his diving skills, securing fifth place in the men's 1-meter diving event with a total score of 141.20. His performance contributed valuable points to the overall score of GCC.
GCC relay teams also performed well this weekend. The 200-yard freestyle relay team (Dunbar, Beardsley, Henning, Davis) came in third at 1:40.55, and the 400-yard medley relay team came in third at 4:15.44. The 400-yard freestyle relay team once again posted a good time at 3:44.01 to come in third place.
For the Women, Mia Olles also had a great weekend, placing fourth in the 50-yard freestyle (28.53) and third in the 200-yard freestyle (2:16.11). Olles was crowned in the 500-yard freestyle (5:58.02), taking 1st place.
Devynn Pearles placed fourth in the 50-yard breaststroke (38.99) and 100-yard breaststroke (1:27.54), adding precious points to the team score.
Emma Brewer posted solid swims, finishing fifth in the 200-yard IM (3:01.25) and fourth in the 100-yard backstroke (1:17.28).
Chloe Leiser competed in a number of events, showing good effort in the 100-yard IM and relay events.
GCC relay teams posted good swims. The 800-yard freestyle relay team (Pearles, Leiser, Brewer, Olles) finished third with 9:50.67 and the 400-yard freestyle relay team finished third with 4:28.53.
Bailee McPartland placed third in the 1-meter dive event with 158.10 points, and Grace Gregoire placed fourth with 156.05 points. Both of their strong performances added quality points to the team's overall score.
Both teams look forward to further improvement at the NJCAA Swimming & Diving National Championship at Erie Community College, which starts on March 5th.