January 24, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Mount swimmers beat Irish
by TOM UTESCHER

Following a sobering Catholic Academies loss at Villa Maria on December 13, the Mount St. Joseph Academy swim team bounced back last Wednesday evening, Jan. 16, with a 99-69 non-league victory over the Academy of Notre Dame, which hosted the meet at Cabrini College.

The Magic improved to 6-2 overall while remaining 1-1 within the AACA, and Notre Dame saw its record slip to 4-2. The Irish won two of the three relays, but the Mount took six of the eight individual events, getting a one-two-three sweep in the backstroke from Caroline Menapace, Jackie Hain, and Katherine Wzorek.

Menapace also won the butterfly, and Hain finished first in the individual medley. Danielle Kouch blew away the field in the breaststroke, and also gave the Mount a victory in 100-yard freestyle with a new personal record. An ailing Laura Pospisil gutted it out to win the 50 freestyle and place second in the 100, while also anchoring both freestyle relay teams for the Magic.

Mount St. Joe also picked up second-place points from Meghan Held in the 200 free, Lauren Lahann in the 500 free (in a personal-best time), and Suzy Lawlor in the breaststroke. Freestyler Nicole Rossetti placed third in both the 200 and 500. Taking third in the butterfly, MSJ’s Meghan Rowley turned in her best time to date.

The Magic opened the meet with a victory in the medley relay, thanks to a quartet consisting of Hain, Kouch, Menapace and anchor Michaela McCrudden.

Notre Dame’s Galen Barry, a senior bound for Dartmouth, won both the 200 and 500 freestyle races. Leslie Tatlow gave the Irish second place in the 50 free and third in the 100 while also participating on both of NDA’s victorious freestyle relay teams, along with Rachel Criner, an upperclassman headed to Penn State.

Meet Results — 50 Freestyle

1. MSJ Laura Pospisil 26.30

2. NDA Leslie Tatlow 26.60

3. MSJ Michaela McCrudden 27.39

100 Freestyle

1. MSJ Danielle Kouch 57.50

2. MSJ Laura Pospisil 58.67

3. NDA Leslie Tatlow 59.21

200 Freestyle

1. NDA Galen Barry 2:07.71

2. MSJ Meghan Held 2:10.01

3. MSJ Nicole Rossetti 2:10.82

500 Freestyle

1. NDA Galen Barry 5:25.87

2. MSJ Lauren Lahann 5:49.81

3. MSJ Nicole Rossetti 5:57.67

100 Backstroke

1. MSJ Caroline Menapace 1:08.11

2. MSJ Jackie Hain 1:10.29

3. MSJ Katherine Wzorek 1:11.09

100 Breaststroke

1. MSJ Danielle Kouch 1:11.35

2. MSJ Suzy Lawlor 1:17.40

3. NDA Katie Hagan 1:18.50

100 Butterfly

1. MSJ Caroline Menapace 1:05.62

2. NDA Katherine Pall 1:07.54

3. MSJ Meghan Rowley 1:08.84

200 Individual Medley

1. MSJ Jackie Hain 2:23.17

2. NDA Caroline Burger 2:28.97

3. MSJ Katie Sullivan 2:33.64

200 Medley Relay

1. MSJ Hain, Kouch, Menapace, McCrudden 1:59.41

2. NDA Barry, Hagen, Pall, Burger 2:01.75

3. MSJ Wzorek, Lawlor, Rowley, Blaire, Kelly 2:02.59

200 Freestyle Relay

1. NDA Burger, Criner, Maura Katona, Tatlow 1:49.76

2. MSJ Menapace, Kelly, McCrudden, Pospisil 1:50.66

3. MSJ Lawlor, Shannon Morgan, Held, Rossetti 1:51.56

400 Freestyle Relay

1. NDA Tatlow, Pall, Criner, Barry 4:02.05

2. MSJ Rossetti, Hain, Kouch, Pospisil 4:05.85

3. MSJ Sullivan, Meredith Bracken, Lahann, Held 4:15.97