CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Marist men's swimming and diving team completed the 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships on Sunday with 235 total team points. In the regional meet that was hosted at Harvard University, the Red Foxes were the high finishing MAAC school as they were ranked seventh overall after the 20-event competition. Sophomore Sean Sullivan (Huntington, N.Y.) highlighted Marist's performance with a 15:53.99 result in the 1650-yd freestyle.
In the longest freestyle race of the meet, Sullivan broke the nine year old school record that was previously set by Nick Chevalier in 2004. With his sixth-place time of 15:53.99, he passed Chevalier's mark by 3.71 seconds.
Daniel Collins (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Bill Drennen (Collegeville, Pa.) augmented Sullivan's performance in the 1650 with 13th and 15th place finishes of 16:23.60 and 16:31.73, respectively.
In 200-yd butterfly action, the Red Foxes had four swimmers place amongst top 16. Sophomore Jason Ruddy (Lake Katrine, N.Y.) was the highest finisher as he finished sixth overall in the Championship Final with a time of 1:50.31. In B-Finals action, Dan Gaynor (Sonoma, Calif.), Stephen Miller (Downington, Pa.) and Collins completed the race with times of 1:55.29, 155:64 and 1:58.16 to finish 14th, 15th and 16th overall.
The diving trio of Jacob Baker (Shavertown, Pa.), Sean Molloy (Slingerlands, N.Y.) and Josh Dodway (Niskayuna, N.Y.) all earned top 10 placements in the 1-meter event. Baker was the highest finishing Red Fox as he earned a fourth place; Molloy was eighth and Dodway 10th.
In the final event of the meet, the 400-yd freestyle relay, the team of Spencer Kelley (Weston, Conn.), John Spitzer (Fairport, N.Y.), Nick Spinella (Franklin Square, N.Y.) and Ruddy finished sixth with a time of 3:08.58.
With their seventh place finish, the swimming portion of the Red Foxes' season is now complete. The divers will finish their season at the NCAA Zone A Qualifying meet hosted at Virginia Tech beginning on Friday, March 15.
SCHOOL RECORDS BROKEN At The ECAC Championships:
Sean Sullivan - 400-yd IM, 3:59.40 & 1650-yd Freestyle, 15:53.99
Jason Ruddy - 100-yd Butterfly, 49.73
