The AU men’s swimming and diving team finished 1-2 and the women’s squad finished 0-3 at a quad meet in Annapolis, Md., Nov. 5.
The men’s side defeated Lafayette College 187-113 while losing to both Bucknell University (227-67) and the Navy Midshipmen (189-87). The women’s team lost all three matches, falling to Bucknell (226-71), Lafayette (160-130) and Navy (179-100).
Ong, Ballance top finishers for men
For the men’s team, Ming Ong led the way by recording three top-five finishes on the day. The junior placed fourth in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:18.13, while finishing fifth in both the 100 breaststroke (1:08.46) and 200 breast (2:34.17).
Ong has continued his strong season after posting victories in both the 100 breast and 200 breast at a tri-meet involving George Washington University and Catholic University last month.
Bobby Ballance earned a pair of top-five finishes, as the sophomore finished fourth in the 200 backstroke (2:17.07) and fifth in the 100 back (1:01.44). Ballance is coming off a freshman year in which he was named men’s swimming and diving’s co-rookie of the year.
Another notable performance for the Eagles came from Khristian Vega, who finished fifth in the one-meter diving event after posting a score of 124.40.
Navy finished the quad meet at 3-0, with Bucknell going 2-1 and Lafayette ending the day winless at 0-3.
Breen, Parker bright spots for women’s team
Leah Breen emerged victorious in the 50 freestyle, as her time of 28.01 beat out Bucknell’s Emily Wright, who finished second at 28.06. Breen posted another strong showing in the 100 free, coming in second when she clocked in at 1:01.35.
Melissa Parker won the three-meter diving event for the Eagles, as her score of 256.90 beat out Bucknell’s Kati Hetherington’s score of 229.30. Parker also managed a top-five finish in the one-meter diving event with a fourth place score of 223.95.
During last month’s tri-meet against Catholic and George Washington, Parker registered two dives in the three-meter and one-meter competition that placed her fourth on AU’s all-time list in the events.
Additional notables from the women’s squad included Miriam Crispo and Elinor Shetter. Crispo picked up a fourth-place finish in the 200 individual medley (2:37.82), while Shetter’s time of 1:10.23 put her in fifth place in the 100 fly.
The top-two finishers on the women’s side were also Navy at 3-0 and Bucknell at 2-1. Lafayette was able to pick up its only victory over the Eagles.
The Eagles will participate next in the George Mason Invitational, which begins Nov. 17 in Fairfax, Va. Last year, the men’s team finished seventh out of nine teams while the women’s team finished eighth out of nine.
