Massachusetts Swim And Dive Captures Three Medals On Final Day Of Atlantic 10 Championships

GENEVA, Ohio - The University of Massachusetts swimming and diving team finished out the Atlantic 10 Championship meet on Saturday at the SPIRE Institute. The final day of competition was highlighted by Jack Artis' school record and silver medal in the 200-yard backstroke and Andrew Bell and Tommy Cotner earning silver and bronze, respectively, in the men's 3-meter dive.

Highlights from Competition

Megan Mitchell was the lone Minutewoman in the consolation final of the 200-yard backstroke, finishing in 1:57.22 for 10th place, bettering her own school record in the event.
Eric Eastham swam the 200-yard backstroke in 1:46.79 in the championship final to capture sixth place and the No. 5 all-time program-best mark. Noah Witt made the consolation final, swimming a 1:46.75 for 10th place and the No. 4 all-time best mark in program history.
Maggie Desmond clocked a 50.57 in the 100-yard freestyle championship final, good for No. 3 all-time in the event and fifth place. Caroline Mahoney took 10th place in the consolation final, swimming a 50.83 and bettering her No. 8 all-time program-best mark in the event.
Sammy Quigg swam the 100-yard freestyle in 44.76 seconds, capturing 12th place and making himself No. 7 all-time in program history as well as the UMass freshman record holder in the event.
Artis set the school record and earned a silver medal in the 200-yard backstroke, swimming a 1:57.59. Sam Haddad improved upon his No. 4 all-time best record, clocking a 2:00.17 to claim ninth place.
Summer Pierce set the school record in the 200-yard butterfly, recording a time of 2:00.13 in the championship finals for fifth place. Beatriz Olivieri followed in sixth place, recording a personal-best time of 2:00.16, good for No. 2 all-time at UMass in the event. Ashley Calderon joined the top ten program-bests in the event, swimming a 2:04.22 for the No. 6 all-time best mark at UMass and an 11th place finish on the day. Katie Mitchell finished in 12th place in finals, improving upon her No. 8 all-time program-best mark, clocking a 2:04.44.
Jamie MacDonald was the top finisher for the Minutemen in the 200-yard butterfly in 1:47:68, bettering his No. 2 all-time best mark and taking seventh place in finals. Jake Bailey followed closely behind, recording a No. 8 all-time program-best in the event in 1:50.42 in the preliminary round and taking eighth place in finals.
Bell set a personal record and a new No. 2 all-time record in program history in the 3-meter dive, winning the preliminary round with a score of 369.60 and ultimately claiming silver. Cotner earned bronze with a score of 311.80 in finals. Sean O'Dell scored a 230.30 and took 13th in the consolation final.
The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Emerson Kiefer, Juan Montori, Eastham, and Quigg set a school record, clocking a 2:59.08 for fifth place in the final event of the meet.
Coach Sam Baluzy was named Atlantic 10 Diving Coach of the Year, while Cotner was titled Most Outstanding Diver.

Team Results
The men finished in third place with a final score of 458 while the women finished in seventh place with a final score of 255.

Next Up
Bell, Cotner, and Emma Petrovich will head to the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships to wrap up the season, which will take place at West Virginia University in Morgantown, W.Va. from Monday, Mar. 6 to Wednesday, Mar. 8.

Scoreboard