The SUNY New Paltz women’s swimming team traveled to Ewing, NJ on Dec. 6 and 7 to compete in The College of New Jersey Invitational. It was their first meet since a tough loss on Nov. 22, yet the Hawks managed to perform well.
The first event on Friday was the 200-yard freestyle relay. Fourth-year Chelsea Angulas, third-year Tessa Griger, fourth-year Sarah Crespo and first-year Kelly Donlevy worked together to put New Paltz in fourth place out of 14 groups. They collectively earned a time of 1:41.58 and secured 30 points for the Hawks right off the bat.
Donlevy continues to be a powerhouse for the team. In the 200-yard intermediate medley, Donlevy placed second. She swam a time of 2:13.73, tacking on 17 more points for New Paltz. During the same event, fourth-year Samantha Woll finished twelfth with a time of 2:19.92 and Griger with a time of 2:21.62.
The lady Hawks managed to score solidly and consistently throughout the day. During the 400-yard medley relay, Woll, third-year Lindsay Kranitz and Angulas swam a 4:04.58, bringing home yet another 30 points. Similar to matching the 30 points from the first event, the trio also placed fourth out of 14 yet again. Another New Paltz group added the last 24 points of the day in the same event.
In the end, the Hawks placed third out of five teams. They totaled 108 points, falling behind Swarthmore College and the College of New Jersey, respectively.
The next day on Saturday, Dec. 7 the ladies started out clutching fifth place in the 200-yard medley relay. Angulas, Kranitz, Griger and Crespo earned 28 points with a time of 1:52.23. Second-years Victoria Bogdanski, Grace Rocks, Brooke Rorie and third-year Natalia Giunta weren’t far behind, clocking in with a time of 2:02.55 and earning 22 points.
Day two had its highlights. Donlevy earned 13 points in the 100-yard butterfly, closely followed by Griger with nine points. Kranitz placed fourth in the 100-yard backstroke with an impressive time of 1:08.53. The 100-yard breastroke brought in 41 points between four Hawks, Angulas leading it off coming in second place with a time of 59.31.
As the day wrapped up, New Paltz put on one more solid performance. Donlevy, Kranitz, Woll and first-year Delilah Griger came in fifth out of 11 in the 800-yard freestyle relay. Their time of 8:25.67 is definitely something to acknowledge, considering the rigourness of the event.
The ladies finished the day placing third again, this time out of six teams. Again, the Hawks fell short to the College of New Jersey and Swarthmore College, but their score of 279 points for the day was better than United States Merchant Marine, East Stroudsburg University and West Chester University.
New Paltz currently has an overall record of 1-3. After the break, the Hawks will be looking forward to traveling to Cortland for a division matchup. The last two appearances New Paltz has had with Cortland have ended in a loss. On Friday, Jan. 10 at 5 p.m. the Hawks will look to turn that around and show the Red Dragons what they’re really made of.
