LANCASTER, Pa. — Washington’s 400-yard medley relay of sophomores Julia Banker, Vanessa Fry and Brooke Bailey and senior Lauren Paules brought home third-place bronze from last week’s Centennial Conference championships, stopping the timer in 3 minutes, 58.18 seconds to medal in the event for the first time since Washington won gold in 2017.
Banker moved up to third in program history in the 100 backstroke with her leadoff leg of 59.77.
All four Shore ladies medaled for the first time at the conference championships.
Franklin & Marshall College’s Kunkel Aquatics Center was the venue for the Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 19-22 meet, which concluded with just one timed finals session in the morning on the last day because of the forecasted snowstorm.
Bailey lowered her own school record in the 200 individual medley to 2:07.90; in the prelims of the 100 butterfly she clocked a 57.47 to move into second in program history; and she placed fifth in the 200 fly in 2:08.56, which is the third-fastest time in program history.
Banker re-established her school record in the 400 IM to 4:34.52, winning the B final to place ninth. This is an improvement of 1.63 seconds from the previous record she set last November in this same pool at the Franklin & Marshall Invitational.
Paules represents Washington on the conference’s All-Sportsmanship Team, which is based on nominations from head coaches. She is the Shore ladies’ only senior.
In addition to being a member of the bronze medal-winning 400-yard medley relay, Paules scored in the 200, 500 and 1650 freestyle.
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No. 15-ranked Swarthmore piled up 819 points to claim its fifth consecutive Centennial Conference title, overtaking Johns Hopkins with a CC record-setting time in the final event of the meet, the 400 freestyle relay.
This is the Garnet’s seventh team title.
Competing in its first-ever Centennial Conference championships, runner-up Hopkins totaled 803.5 points.
Gettysburg placed third with 626 points, followed by Ursinus (299) and Franklin & Marshall (259) to round out the top five.
Dickinson (231.5) was sixth. Then came Washington (189), Bryn Mawr (141) and McDaniel (104).
Swarthmore’s women won 14 of the 18 events, led again by senior Quinn Weygandt, who was named the Most Outstanding Performer for the third straight year. She was the only competitor — female or male — to win three individual gold medals [200 and 400 individual medley and 200 butterfly].
Weygandt also was a member of the winning 800 and 400 freestyle relays, with the 400 relay setting conference and championship records.
She is the first swimmer in conference history to sweep the individual medley events in four straight championships; she also won the 200 butterfly for the third year in a row.
