Tubb and Molloy 3rd, men 8th in final meet
By Thomas Albano
Qualifying Broncs from the swimming and diving team competed at the ECAC Championships at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., March 1-2.
The men finished eighth out of 15 schools, while the women finished 19th out of 21 schools.
Standout performances from the men included: junior Shane Tubb’s third-place finish in the 200-meter fly at 1:50.88, and freshman William Molloy finishing third in the 200 free at 1:40.
Tubb thought that the ECAC Championships presented the best chance for improvement on personal performances.
“ECACs is an opportunity to race great competition again after conferences,” Tubb said. “As a team, we represented ourselves well and some of our swimmers had lifetime best times. Our coaches do a great job of preparing us physically and mentally to perform well in such a long meet for the second time in two weeks.”
Also for the men, freshman Matthan-Matthew Martir placed fifth in the 100-meter free with a time of 45.95, and sophomore Adam Phillips placed fifth in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:04.74.
As for the women, sophomore Taylor Shelley finished 11th in the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:06.40, while junior Morgan Kandrac placed 12th in the same event. In addition, senior Megan Mullaney finished 16th in the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 4:42.68, and sophomore Kaitlyn O’Connor finished in 15th in the 200-meter fly with a time of 2:09.23.
It was a bittersweet moment for Mullaney, as her final season came to a close.
“Not everyone makes ECACs, so it is an honor being able to represent Rider at a high level of competition,” Mullaney said. “Looking back on my four years, I have so many great memories. Our team is a true family, so even if you do not have the best season, you can still look to your teammates and have something to be proud of.”
The season is not quite over yet, as qualifying athletes are set to compete at the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships on March 10 and 11 in Blacksburg, Va.
