Men swimming away from competition; women holding their breath

After the first three days of the PSAC swimming championships in Mechanicsburg, Pa., the men have cruised to an extraordinary lead, while the women are holding on by the skin of their teeth.The men's team are in good position to once again win the championship and continue as the only PSAC team to win a championship since the turn of the century. West Chester ended the first half day of competition in first place with 37 points, followed by Edinboro and Shippensburg. Leading the Rams in this first night of events were Rod King and Max Bernardes, who finished one two in the 1,000 yard freestyle race. King set a new PSAC Championship meet record with his time of 9 minutes, 26.91 seconds.

Friday was all about the Golden Rams in the pool though, as they pulled out to a massive lead, going up to 252 points. The closest competitor, Clarion, had yet to eclipse the 200 point mark, sitting at 196.

The men took two relays on the day, the 200 free relay and 400 medley relay, each team qualifying for Nationals. The 200 free relay team consisted of Matt Golebiewski, Brendan Fanslau, Josh Pauley, and Rod King. Golebiewski was also part of the 400 medley relay team, along with Kenny McCormick, Peter Madueno, and Phil Luzny.

Individually, Golebiewski also proved victorious in the 500 yard freestyle, where he earned a spot in Nationals, continuing his stellar senior season. Fanslau and McCormick also qualified for Nationals with their record breaking wins in the 50 free and 200 individual medley.

And if Friday was pure domination in the pool for West Chester, then there isn't a word out there to describe Saturday, as the Golden Rams displayed their level of superiority, winning six events, qualifying seven for Nationals, and increasing their point total to 577; nearly 200 ahead of second place.

West Chester's excellence in the pool never ceases to amaze. Matt Golebiewski took another individual title in the 200 yard freestyle, while Bernardes won the 400 individual relay and Peter Madueno won the 100 breaststroke.

Two more relay teams also brought home titles on Saturday. The 200 medley relay was anchored by Golebiewski, as well as McCormick, Fanslau, and Bud McClernan. McCormick and Fanslau were also members of the 800 free relay team, along with King and Bernardes.

West Chester's crowning event of the championships so far though was the 100 butterfly. The Golden Ram's swept the top four spots in that race. Phil Luzney was the victor. He and runner up McCormick each qualified for Nationals with their times. Third and fourth in the race went to David Smoker and Eric Kunzman respectively.

The men will finish their competition Sunday night, where it looks inevitable that they will once again reign as champions of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

The Lady Rams also ended the first day in the pool in first place with 38 points, ten ahead of Indiana (Pa.). Kristen Montello and Danielle Ierley were the only scorers in the first night of competition, taking third and fourth in the 1,000 yard freestyle.

After the second day of scoring though, the West Chester women's swimming team found themselves in second place, close on the heals of last year's runner up Clarion.

West Chester's team of Jackie Borkowski, Kristen Montello, Jillian Murphy, and Megan Bauer took second in the 200 free relay to Clarion, qualifying for Nationals as well. Borkowski also broke her own record in the 50 freestyle race on her way to an individual title.

The 400 medley relay team of Jillian Murphy, Rachel Gale, Erin Fischer, and Jackie Borkowski also qualified for Nationals in their runner up showing.

Saturday was the golden day for the Golden Rams though, as they had some of their best events that day. This aided them in coming back to pass the Clarion Golden Eagles, en route to their 30.5 point lead going into the final day of competition.

Borkowski continued her romping of the PSAC championships, once again breaking one of her own records in the 100 yard backstroke in one of West Chester's three wins on the day. She was also part of the 800 freestyle relay that won, working with Montello, Ierley, and Bauer. Erin Fischer was the third winner for the Lady Rams in the pool Saturday, taking the 400 individual medley.

Bauer and Murphy each had runner up National qualifying times to help West Chester regain the lead. The 200 medley relay team also qualified for Nationals with their second place run.

The Championships will finish up Sunday night, as the men try to hold off the tough competition while the women fight to keep their slim lead over Clarion, both hoping to come out reigning champions of the PSAC.

*The final day of competition did not conclude in time for this edition of The Quad.

Ryan Frisco is a second-year student majoring in Communication studies with a minor in Journalism. He can be reached at RF648257@wcupa.edu.