Swimming Opens the Year With a Win at Fairfield Invite
Blue Devils post 474 points to claim the win in their first meet of the season
The Central Connecticut women's swimming and diving team opened the 2019-20 season with a win at the Fairfield Invite on Saturday. Central posted a first place finish with 474 points, 21 points ahead of second place Sacred Heart. Fairfield was third with 444 points, followed by Pace (125) and Southern Connecticut (96). Points in the meet included diving, although CCSU did not compete in that portion of the meet.
The Blue Devils opened the Invite with a third place finish in the 200 Medley Relay. The team of sophomore Katie Czulewicz, sophomore Mariana Espino, junior Katelyn Mann and sophomore Simona Visinski finished with a time of 2:05.37 to earn 32 points. The team of junior Erin Brown, sophomore Alex Lindgren, freshman Kaylin McMahon and sophomore Destiny Johnson placed fifth in 2:07.83 and earned an additional 28 points in the race.
Senior Gracie Regan placed second in the 800 freestyle with a time of 9:42.60 to earn 13 points for the Blue Devils. Classmate Keelin Kendall was fourth in the same race in 9:50.13 to grab 11 points. Senior Grace Fredricks was seventh in 9:58.24.
Senior Erika Maercklein finished second in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:12.57. Freshman Shannon Welcome was seventh in 2:16.08 and Czulewicz was 10th in 2:16.74.
Sophomore Jeannette King finished second in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:07.51. McMahon was sixth in 1:09.98.
Mann won the 100 breaststroke in 1:16.58. Lindgren was second in 1:17.11 and freshman Abby Bacon was fourth in 1:19.92. Espino finished sixth in 1:21.26 as the Blue Devils earned 49 points in the event.
McMahon finished fourth in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:33.49. Welcome was sixth in 2:35.32. King placed second in the 50 freestyle with a time of 27.71 while sophomore Hallie Perrin was fifth in 28.18.
King then placed second in the 100 freestyle with a time of 1:01.52. Maercklein was fifth in 1:02.54 and Visinski was seventh in 1:02.94. Czulewicz finished eighth in 1:03.47.
McMahon won the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:28.16 while Brown was fourth in 2:30.79 and Perrin was fifth in 2:30.87.
The Blue Devils took the first four sports in the 200 breaststroke. Lindgren was first with a time of 2:45.70, followed by Mann (2:48.45), Regan (2:50.12) and Bacon (2:50.73). The four combined for 53 points.
Maercklein finished second in the 400 freestyle with a time of 4:41.42. Welcome was fourth in 4:52.30 and Fredricks was fifth in 4:52.75. Mann finished fourth in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:08.83.
Lindgren was third in the 200 IM with a time of 2:32.64. Regan was fourth in 2:35.47 and Bacon finished sixth in 2:35.81.
Central ended the meet with a second and fourth place finish in the 400 freestyle relay with times of 4:07.26 and 4:18.24 to claim 48 additional points.