SELINSGROVE, Pa. – The Susquehanna women's swimming & diving team defeated visiting Elizabethtown College 157-99 in its first Landmark Conference meet of the 2014-15 season. It also marked the Blue Jays' first conference meet since joining the Landmark Conference this athletic year.
The Crusaders won the first of the event of the day in convincing fashion, taking first and second in the 200 yard medley relay. The team of Erin McElwee (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville Area), Joann Butkus (Barnesville,Pa./Tamaqua Area), Ashlee Weingarten (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown), and Jessica Jozefiak (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) placed first in 1:54.01 while the foursome of Annie Bruxelles (Hockessin, Del /Sanford School), Paige Wagner (Rising Sun, Md./Rising Sun), Lizzie Richart (Wyncote, Pa./Cheltenham), and Avanti Banks (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) finished in 1:58.03.
Susquehanna took second through fourth in the next event, the 1000 yard freestyle, with Dana Linsky (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley), Madeline Toohey (Oradell, N.J./River Dell) and Isabella Cieri (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford Senior High) finishing with respective times of 12:05.81, 12:08.34 and 12:14.22.
Jozefiak, Kyle Seaman (Moreland Hills, Ohio/Orange), and Caroline Henderson (Berkeley Heights, N.J./Governor Livingston) took the top three spots in the 200 yard freestyle and Lexi Cole (Danville, Pa./Danville) and Valerie Stearns (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) finished first and second in the 100 yard backstroke in 1:04.31 and 1:06.26, respectively.
Butkus finished placed first in the 100 yard breaststroke (1:09.91) while Wagner occupied third with a time of 1:13.53. The 200 yard butterfly belonged to the Crusaders, who took the top three spots behind performances from Kelsey Lessard (Chestertown, Md./Queen Anne's County) in 2:19.01, McElwee in 2:24.08 and Dana Pontecorvo (New Providence, N.J./Mount St. Mary Academy) in 2:29.95.
SU also claimed the top three spots in the 50 yard freestyle with Bruxelles (25.70), Weingarten (25.86) and Banks (27.94) occupying the respective places.
Butkus (57.34), Lessard (57.49) and Seaman (57.73) also led an SU sweep in the 100 yard freestyle. Bruxelles finished first in the 200 yard back stroke with a time of 2:17.67 while Maggie Hess (Wolfeboro, N.H./Brewston Academy) was third in 2:31.70.
Wagner (2:40.75) placed first in the 200 yard breaststroke and freshman Lindsey Vankirk (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills) claimed the top spot in 5:36.09 in the 500 yard freestyle, the last non-exhibition event of the meet.
The women's swimming and diving team next competes at Landmark opponent Catholic on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m.
