Terriers Set For Patriot League Championship
February 17, 2015 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Patriot League Championship Central | Watch Live on PLN | Live Results
BOSTON - The Boston University men's and women's swimming and diving teams will travel to Lewisburg, Pa. to compete in the Patriot League Championship meet, hosted by Bucknell at Kinney Natatorium. The four-day meet begins on Wednesday, Feb. 18 and will run through Saturday, Feb. 21. The meet will be broadcast live on the Patriot League Network.
Both teams look to outdo their preseason projections and win their first-ever Patriot League Championships. The Terriers were picked to finish second in the conference in both the men's and women's polls after finishing in third place overall at their first-ever PL Championship meet last season.
The BU women have captured seven America East Conference championships including three in the last six years (2009, 2010, 2012) while the men have won two AE titles, most recently in 2012. The men look to dethrone Navy, who has won 11-straight Patriot League Championships. The Terriers also hope to put a stop to Navy's reign on the women's side, as the Midshipmen have won the last three titles and four in the past five years.
Senior Connor Stuewe will be on the hunt for a pair of individual championships in the 100 and 200 yard backstroke events. Stuewe swam the fastest time in the Patriot League this season in the 200 backstroke (1:45.38) and the fourth-fastest time in the 100 backstroke (48.99). He will also compete in the 500 freestyle.
Classmate Andy Vazquez is also a PL champion hopeful with top-10 times in all three of his events, the 50, 100 and 200 yard freestyle. His highest seed is in the 100 freestyle, in which he swam the third best time in the conference, 45.39 seconds. Vazquez will be swimming alongside his fellow captain Cole Puchi in all three events. Puchi also ranks in the top-10 in the 100 freestyle.
Garrett Chin has proven himself to be one of the most talented freshmen in the conference, ranking in the top-10 in all of the events he qualified for. Chin will be competing in both the 200 and 400 IM and also qualified for the 200 backstroke and butterfly. His best event according to the standings is the 400 IM in which he raced to the second-fastest time in the PL this season, 3:55.27.
Another talented freshman, Quinn Smith, will be competing alongside Chin the 200 IM. Smith goes into the race with the third best time in the conference, 1:50.27. He will also compete in the 100 backstroke.
On the women's side, a group of seniors will lead the way for the Terriers. Alexsa Savage, Avery Visser, Katie Kenney and Stephanie Nasson combine for seven top-10 times in their respective events.
Savage will compete in the freestyle sprint events. She currently has the seventh and eighth fastest times in the conference in the 200 and 100 freestyle, respectively.
Nasson is set to lead the Terriers in the distance freestyle events, competing in the 200, 500 and 1650 freestyle. She looks to capture an individual title in the 1650 free, swimming the third-fastest time in the Patriot League, 17:02.29. She also has the seventh-best time in the conference in the 500 free.
Visser will lead the way in the butterfly events, competing in both the 100 and 200 races. Her best event looks to be the 200 fly, in which she swam the fourth-best time in the PL this season (2:03.04). Visser's time in the 100 fly ranked 10th in the seedings. Swimming alongside Visser will be Kenney, whose times rank ninth in the 100 fly and 15th in the 200 fly.
Junior Karla Ferrara will lead the Terriers in breaststroke events, competing in both the 100 and 200 races. She swam the fifth-fastest time among Patriot League student-athletes in the 200 (2:19.84) and 12th-fastest time in the 100 (1:05.76).
The BU women also boast some talented rookies, with Nikki Bookwalter emerging as the team's best in the backstroke. Bookwalter ranks sixth in the 200 backstroke (2:01.26) and 17th in the 100 backstroke (57.82) and will compete in both events.
In the diving pool, all three divers from the men's team and six from the women's team will compete in both the 1 meter and 3 meter events. Adam Gross leads the Terriers in both events, recording the fourth-best score in the 1 meter dive (291.15) and sixth-best in the 3 meter dive (279.80).
Lizzie Tillo leads BU in the 1 meter event for the women with the seventh-best score in the league (247.50) while Kalli Roebelen has the third-best score in the 3 meter dive (264.30).
