Swimming and Diving Captures 12 Individual Events; Finishes Second in the 2023 GNAC Championship Meet

Swimming and Diving Captures 12 Individual Events; Finishes Second in the 2023 GNAC Championship Meet
Posted: Feb 05, 2023

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Collecting 12 of 25 individual event championships, Simmons swimming and diving finished second at the 2023 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship Meet with a total of 604 points on Sunday evening.

Senior Meg Driscoll led the Sharks gold medal count, securing three over the course of the three-day meet. Driscoll picked up her third win, besting Colby-Sawyer College's Brandy Lewis by .19 seconds in the 200-yard IM, touching the wall with a time of season top-time of 2:24.48.

First-year Carli Quinlan opened the third night of the championship meet, earning her third medal. After posting a time of 55.16 in the prelims, Quinlan registered a personal-best time of 54.18 in the 100-yard freestyle to claim second team All-GNAC honors.

Sophomore Hailey Stuck and first-year Lily Martin joined Quinlan in the championship, A-finals of the 100-yard free and both also posted season and personal best times. Stuck finished sixth with a time of 56.69, while Martin clocked in three tenths of a second later with a time of 56.69.

Senior distance swimmer Eva Piernas swam away from the field in the 1,650-yard freestyle. In the mile race, Piernas came seven seconds shy of breaking her previous personal-best, touching the wall with a time of 18:57.77 to claim her second event win of the meet.

The Sharks continued to accumulate the medal count with a pair of top-three finishes in the 100-yard backstroke. Junior Caroline Mazariegos posted time of 1:03.94 to earn second team all-conference honors, while sophomore Camelia Hannah seized the bronze from Regis' Megan Miller by two tenths of a second.

In the 200-yard butterfly, senior Sophie Stevenson came one second shy of tying her personal best and registered the Sharks second-best time of the season. Touching the wall with a time of 2:37.43, Stevenson earned the bronze medal along with all-conference third team honors.

Simmons capped of the meet with their fourth relay victory, taking first place in the 400-yard medley relay. The Sharks were in a tight battle with Colby-Sawyer after the third leg of the relay, but Carli Quinlan pulled away from Brandy Lewis coming off the wall following her second flip turn and won with ease.

SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS

  • Simmons won a total of 12 individual events; the most amongst the conference leaders.
  • Senior Meg Driscoll led the Sharks with a total of three individual events after winning the 200-yard IM (2:24.48).
  • Senior distance swimmer Eva Piernas claimed her second gold medal winning the 1,650-yard free (18:57.77).
  • Junior Caroline Mazariegos and sophomore Camelia Hannah went back-to-back in the 100-yard backstroke, earning all-conference second team and third team honors, respectively.
  • The Sharks' quartet of Camelia Hannah, Meg Driscoll, Lily Martin and Carli Quinlan posted a season-best time of 4:15.31 in the 400-yard medley relay.
Scoreboard