Seton Hall University
Providence
Pirates Pummel PC, 176-99
11/4/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The result was never in question on Saturday afternoon in South Orange as the Seton Hall women’s swimming & diving team powered past Providence in the BIG EAST opener, 176-99. The Pirates swam to victories in 11 of the first 12 events in the pool, picking up the team’s sixth-straight win to start the 2012-13 season.
Just over two weeks into the new season and with only four competitions in the books, the Pirates have already matched their dual meet win total from a year ago with six.
More impressively, and perhaps more daunting for upcoming opponents, the team appears to just be hitting its stride. As a part of the victory over PC, the Pirates registered their fastest time of the year in six different events.
One of those times came in the first event of the day, as the team of Andrea Shuba (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Megan Mallon (Glen Mills, Pa.), Kelly Markwell (Old Bridge, N.J.) and Alie Zelenky (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) was victorious in the 200-yard medley relay, posting a time of 1:49.75. The win continued a run of dominance in the event for SHU this season as the Pirates have now taken first place in the race during all three of their head-to-head matchups.
The members of the winning relay squad went on to play key roles in the action as the day progressed. Zelenky went on to earn her third 50-yard freestyle win of her senior season, touching in 25.15, the top mark on the team through four meets. Gabi Levine (Garwood, N.J.) placed second in the event, rounding out one of eight 1-2 finishes for the Pirates on the afternoon.
The junior Markwell darted her way to a first place finish and a BIG EAST automatic qualifying time in the 100-yard butterfly, clocking in at 58.89 to pace the field. Levine again occupied second place, followed by Shuba in third, as they both came in under the BIG EAST automatic standard as well. Levine had previously finished atop the 100-yard freestyle field, her second win so far in her time swimming for The Hall.
In the 200-yard butterfly, another junior, Jane Ehret (Florida, N.Y.), led another triumvirate of automatic qualifying marks for Seton Hall, earning the win with a time of 2:09.07. Senior Brenna O'Keefe (Hyde Park, N.Y.) came in second (2:12.55), while Markwell finished third (2:12.81).
O’Keefe claimed two victories against the Friars, as she continued to roll in distance freestyle races. For the second meet in a row, she posted a victory in the 1,000-yard freestyle and later clocked her second automatic qualifying time for the 2013 conference championship, taking the 500-yard freestyle in convincing fashion. Her final time of 5:15.85 was nearly seven seconds better than PC’s top finisher in the event.
Shuba also added wins in both backstroke events to aid SHU’s cause, finishing the day as one of three Pirates to take home multiple individual victories. As has been a theme all season, it wasn’t hard for Pirate fans in attendance to find freshman Cora Meehan (Noblesville, Ind.) as she finished a close second behind Shuba at both the 100 and 200-yard distances.
A formidable duo in their first few appearances together for SHU, the senior record-holder and Meehan have now combined for eight top-four finishes in backstroke competition.
Freshmen Leah Mayer (London, Ontario) and Katie Adams (Linwood, N.J.) completed an SHU sweep of the top-three spots in the 500-yard freestyle, placing second and third respectively. Mayer also took third in the 1,000-yard freestyle and finished in between classmates Rae Congdon (Ottawa, Ontario) and Adams as the trio of newcomers claimed the second, third and fourth spots in the 200-yard freestyle.
Reigning SHUPirates.com Athlete of the Week Kerrie Kolackovsky (Franklin Square, N.Y.) was the third Pirate to collect two wins, adding her team-leading seventh and eighth individual victories of the season. Kolackovsky continued to be a force in breaststroke events for The Hall, cruising to wins at the 100 and 200-yard distances. After closing the day with the fastest 400-IM time on the women’s side, the junior has turned in a top-three time in all 11 of her individual swims so far in 2012-13.
In each of her wins, Kolackovsky was immediately followed to the wall by the freshman Mallon. The Glen Mills native has already clinched a spot at the BIG EAST Championships in both breaststroke events, and now has six top-two finishes of her own under her belt.
Junior captain Katie Riley (Newburgh, N.Y.) and freshman Gabby Signorelli (Massapequa, N.Y.) continued to perform well in diving competition. From the one-meter board, Riley finished second after setting a new personal record with a score of 248.48. Signorelli placed fourth after diving to a score just over a point off of her career-high mark.
In addition to the team victory, the Pirates added seven new automatic qualifying times and Congdon and O'Keefe became the ninth and tenth team members to earn a trip to represent SHU in Indianapolis on the conference championship stage.
