Wroblewski Win In 400 IM Propels Blue Devils To Top Of Team Standings

The Central Connecticut State swimming and diving team scored 339 points on Thursday to surge back into the overall lead at the 2024 Northeast Conference Championships. The Blue Devil come to the midway point of the championship with 752.5 points, 124.5 points in front of second-place Howard.

Gabi Wroblewski took gold for the Blue Devils to start the evening sessions, pulling away to win at 4:24.38. Sophie Milhomens finished sixth for CCSU at (4:32.39 and Morgan O'Hara took eighth at 4:39.70, as the trio accumulated 78 points in the championship final

Abby Bacon finished 21^st for the Blue Devils, touching at 4:43.11. Kyla Behrle finished 23^rd with a time of 4:45.45 and Marley Milne was 24^th at 4:46.07

Cassidy Stotler took home the silver in the 100 butterfly, clocking a finals swim of 56.12. Megan Dunnican was close behind at 56.61, good for fourth place.

Jillena Plowucha touched fifth in the consolation final to claim 13^th place with a 58.21, and Laurn Cowing took 16^th overall at 58.98 Thursday night. Hannah Kretkowski earned 20^th in the 100 fly, going 58.89

Shannon Welcome took bronze in the 200 freestyle. Going 1:50.28 to lead three Blue Devils in the A-Final. Abbey Keane followed up her gold in the 500 with a sixth-place finish in the event, at 1:53.49. Kelly Stotler placed eighth, at 1:55.30.

Gabby Spaciano claimed 10^th place, dropping nearly two seconds from her prelim swim and touched at 1:53.67. Maggie Rutledge claimed 13^th place with a 1:55.72 effort and Taylor Demarest was 15^th after a swim of 1:56.15.

The 200-freestyle relay capped the evening with a bronze medal. Katrine O'Leary led-off with a swim of 23.68. Spaciano followed with a 24.52 split and Kelly Stotler swam third at 23.56. Welcome put up a 23.53 anchor leg swim that moved the Blue Devils onto the podium, catching Wagner in the final yards.

The Championship resumes Friday morning at 10:00 am with preliminary heats in the 200 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 3-meter diving. Finals will get underway in those events Thursday night at 6:00 pm, including the 400 medley relay.

PRELIM NOTES

400 IM

• CCSU put three into the A-Final, including the top-two seeds, with Milhomens posting a 4:30.78 and Wroblewski going 4:30.97
• O'Hara earned a spot in the championship final as well, qualifying seventh with a swim of 4:35.55
• Bacon headlines three Blue Devils in the C-Final, qualifying 18^th after going 4:43.10 Thursday morning
• Behrle touched at 4:43.82 and is the 20^th seed, while Milne is 22^nd after going 4:44.96

100 Butterfly

• Cassidy Stotler took the top spot in the 100 butterfly, and is the only swimmer sub-56 during prelims, setting the pace with a 55.98 qualifying time
• Dunnigan also earned a spot in the championship heat Thursday night, going 57.35 to qualify eighth
• Plowucha, 58.41, and Cowing, 58.76 will both swim in the consolation heat, with Plowucha tied for 13^th and Cowing the 16^th seed
• Kretkowski went 58.50 Thursday morning to nab the 17^th spot to round out the Blue Devils five finalists

200 Freestyle

• The Blue Devils had six earn berths in the 200 free Thursday night, with three championship final qualifiers and three earning berths in the consolation final
• Welcome paced the morning effort with a swim of 1:51.52 to earn the fourth spot in the finals
• Keane went 1:53.78 and is the sixth seed, while Kelly Stotler went 1:54.05 to nab the eighth-seed, by .28 seconds over a Howard swimmer
• Spaciano swam a 1:55.64 Thursday morning to qualify 12^th, with Demarest at 1:55.96 and Rutledge 1:56.06, as the 14^th and 15^th seeds respectively
• Sophie Pincince swam a personal-best to place 26^th at 2:02.49