ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Marist women's swimming and diving team sits in second place, 12 points out of first, after a strong second day of events at the ECAC Swimming & Diving Championships at the United States Naval Academy. Junior Kate Conard (East Setauket, N.Y.) and the 800-yd freestyle team highlighted the night's action with a school record and an event win.
Conard was one of three Red Foxes to compete in the evening's 200-yd freestyle finals. She was joined by senior Michelle Fountain (Sayville, N.Y.) and sophomore Maddie Arciello (Missoula, Mont.). In the Championship Final, Conard swam to a second place finish of 1:50.12, a time that bettered her 2011 school record of 1:50.21. Fountain finished two positions back at fourth with a time of 1:52.03. Meanwhile, Arciello earned the Consolation Final win with a time of 1:52.22.
Later in the evening, that trio of Red Foxes joined with sophomore Bonnie Orr (Fresno, Calif.) to take the 800-yd freestyle relay title by an impressive 3.03 seconds over Harvard. They finished their 800 yard race in a time of 7:31.51.
Emily Miles (Long Valley, N.J.) earned the second of three second place finishes for Marist as she swam to a time of 56.26 in the 100-yd butterfly. That mark set her within 0.22 seconds of number one all-time at Marist.
Freshman Greta Leberfinger (Chatham, N.J.) took a third place finish of 1:04.25 in the 100-yd breaststroke. She finished just 0.15 seconds out of second place.
The 400-yd IM was the most populated even for the Red Foxes on the second night as two women participated in the Championship Final and two in the Consolation Final. Junior Erica Vitale was the highest finisher with a seventh place result of 4:37.83. She was joined in the A Final by senior Emily Gardner (Fairport, N.Y.), who swam to an eighth place finish of 4:40.77.
In consolation action, senior Amanda Letchko (Newton, N.J.) won the race with a time of 4:34.57. Fellow senior Leanna Brittis (Bluffton, S.C.) finished fifth in the race at 4:37.81.
Marist had two participants in the Consolation Final of the 100-yd backstroke, Letchko and senior Allison Kreho (Shelton, Conn.). Kreho led the duo with a second place finish of 59.61. Letchko was seventh at 1:00.94.
In 200-yd Medley Relay action, the Marist team of Vitale, Leberfinger, Miles and Arciello earned a fifth place finish with a time of 1:47.34.
In diving action, freshman Kimberly Tobias (San Jose, Calif.) led a pair of Championship Final participants with a second place finish of 248.40, the third runner-up finish by Marist on the evening. Junior Chelaine Eliazar (Honolulu, Hawaii) earned a six dive total of 217.50, good enough for sixth place.
After the second day of the championship, Navy leads the field with 413 points. Marist is 12 points back in second place at 401. Harvard, the day one leader is in third with 390 points.
The ECAC Championship will conclude on Sunday. The finals for events 28 through 40 will be held in the afternoon with the first race set to begin at 4 p.m.
Women - Top 10 Team Rankings - Through Event 27
1. Navy - 413. 2. Marist - 401. 3. Harvard - 390. 4. Towson - 259. 5. Rider - 233. 6. Bucknell - 223.5. 7. Army - 223. 8. C.W. Post - 147.5 9. Columbia - 114. 10. University of New England - 45.
