The SUNY New Paltz men’s and women’s swimming teams swam to victory this past weekend during SUNYACs.
The Lady Hawks started off the SUNYAC tournament in the women’s 800-yard freestyle relay with first-year Kirsten Giovanniello, first-year Delilah Griger, third-year Lindsay Kranitz and fourth-year Samantha Woll. The women earned a time of 8:07.32, putting them in fourth place. The Lady Hawks finished as a team (through event three because two of the events involve a diving team, which New Paltz lacks) in fourth place with a total score of 30 points.
In the men’s 800-yard freestyle relay, the Hawks came in third place. Second-year Mitchell Chappell, second-year Jared Finn, second-year Ethan Bonney and third-year TJ Stecher all competed to earn a final time of 7:00.36. The Hawks were sixth with 32 points.
On the second day of the tournament, first-year Kelly Donlevy came in fourth in the women’s 200-yard individual medley at 2:11.68.
The Lady Hawks competed next in the 200-yard freestyle relay, where Donlevy, Woll, fourth-year Sarah Crespo and fourth-year Chelsea Angulas landed in fourth with an overall time of 1:39.33. In the next event, the 400-yard medley relay, the Lady Hawks took third. Overall, the women’s team took fourth again with a team score of 129 points.
The men’s 200-yard individual medley followed. First-year Owen Rowlands swam his first laps for the Hawks, finishing in seventh at 1:59.29.
On day two, Chappell, Finn, fourth-year Matt Pero and third-year Nolan West finished in seventh for the men’s 200-yard freestyle relay. In the 400-yard medley relay, West, Finn, second-year Luke Gamboli and Chappell finished third. The men’s team finished in seventh place, one place down from the day before, with a team score of 108 points.
The Lady Hawks started off the Friday finals in the 200-yard freestyle. Three Lady Hawks, Angulas, Delilah Griger and third-year Tessa Griger each placed one after another, fifth to seventh. Angulas earned 14 points, Tessa Griger earned 13 points and Delilah Griger was close behind, earning 12 points for the team.
“Though I didn’t get my goal times, the experience of this being my last meet ever was bittersweet,” Angulas said. “I am excited to no longer practice but I’ll miss the competition.”
The women’s 100-yard breaststroke was next and Kranitz placed fourth at 1:07.15. Donlevy placed next for the Hawks in sixth for the women’s 100-yard fly in sixth place, earning 13 points.
The Lady Hawks continued their competition in the 200-yard medley relay. Tessa Griger, Kranitz, Donlevy and Angulas earned third place with 32 points. The Lady Hawks moved up the ranks into third place with 253 points through the last 27 events.
The men’s team competed in the 200-yard freestyle for their next event, where Finn earned the lone first place finish of the day for New Paltz with a time of 1:43.39, giving the men’s team 20 points. Chappell wasn’t too far behind him, coming in fourth place at 1:44.18 and adding 15 to Finn’s 20.
“Winning the 200-yard freestylestyle on Friday was unexpected to say the least,” Finn said. “The feeling of seeing the No. 1 on the board and being able to share that moment with my team was the best finish to a crazy five months.”
Gamboli placed fifth in the next event, the 100-yard back, tallying 14 points. Two Hawks placed for the first time during the men’s 100-yard breaststroke, second-year Akiva Garfield and third-year Graham Cono, each earning six and five points, respectively. Gamboli competed next for New Paltz in the 100-yard fly, getting fifth place with 14 points.
Bonney and Rowlands each added points to the team’s score after the 400-yard individual medley, totalling 18 points in total. The Hawks did not rest during the third day of championships, and were moved up into sixth place with 230 points going into day four. On Saturday, the final day of the SUNYAC tournament, New Paltz men and women’s teams were ready to come out on top.
In the women’s 100-yard back, Angulas, Tessa Griger and Delilah Griger earned 39 points for the Lady Hawks, earning fifth, six and seventh place, respectively. In the 200-yard back, Angulas and Delilah Griger were back, both placing in fourth and fifth place and tallying 29 points.
The women’s 100-yard breaststroke was next for Kranitz, who scored 15 points and finished with a time of 1:07.15. She returned in the 200-yard breaststroke in fourth place once again, adding another 15 points. In the 100-yard fly, Donlevy placed sixth adding 13 points to the board.
Giovanniello took fifth in the 200-yard fly event, tallying 14 points. Donlevy took another high placement in the 200-yard individual medley, earning 15 points in fourth place.
Donlevy, Woll, Crespo and Angulas took fourth in the 200-yard freestyle relay and third in the 400-yard freestyle relay, totaling 62 points. Giovanniello, Delilah Griger, Kranitz and Woll entered for the 800-yard freestyle relay, earning fourth place and 30 points. In the 200-yard medley relay, Giger, Kranitz, Donlevy and Angulas took third with 32 points and in the 400-yard medley relay Woll replaced Griger and the group placed in third again with 32.
The men’s team had Finn begin their side of the competition in the 100-yard freestyle in fourth place with 15 points. Finn came out on top in the 200-yard freestyle, getting another first place finish and gaining 20 points.
Bonney took second in the men’s 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 16:29.34, earning 17 points. In the 100-yard back, Gamboli finished fifth at 53.61 with 14 points.
The men took third in the 800-yard freestyle relay, giving them another 32 points to add to their already climbing score. The 400-yard medley relay wasn’t much different, where the Hawks took third again with another 32 points.
All in all, the women’s team placed third in the SUNYAC tournament with 375 points, and the men’s team placed fourth with 331.
“I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything,” Angulas said. “Even the tough times were good when I was around my team. Go Hawks!”
