COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College women's swimming team's senior class capped an undefeated home career with a 157-101 victory over Franklin & Marshall in a Centennial Conference dual on Saturday afternoon.
Clara Baker, Kathryn Longenecker, Peyten Lyons, Katherine Madden, Caroline Powell, and Gabriella Timuscuk never experienced a loss inside Elliott Pool, and a thrilling Senior Day performance left them in no danger of threatening that streak.
The Class of 2019 played a major role for the 18th-ranked Bears (7-0, 5-0). Baker won the 100 fly and 200 fly and swam on two first-place relays, while Lyons captured wins in the 100 back and 200 back, breaking her own pool record in the latter.
The Bears started strong and never looked back. Lyons joined freshman Stephanie Chell, Clara Baker, and sophomore Katherine Kurzinsky to win the 200 medley relay in 1:51.31. Powell, freshman Sophie Lear, freshman Liv Rachael, and sophomore Sophie May placed second in 1:53.35.
First-year standout Katie Schultz was first to touch in the 1000 free with a mark of 11:00.73.
May took home the 200 free in 1:58.56, and Lyons followed with a winning swim of 59.91 in the 100 back.
Sophomore Katelyn Moore led a 1-2 effort in the 100 breast, edging Chell's 1:13.51 with a clocking of 1:13.30. Baker did the same in the 200 fly, cruising to victory with a 2:10.70 to clear runner-up Allison Thomas by exactly 10 seconds.
Freshman Sophie Lear capped the first session with a scintillating swim in the 50 free, finishing about a quarter-second off her personal best with a 24.63 to hand Ursinus a 93-37 surplus heading into the break.
Lear picked up right where she left off after the intermission, rolling to victory in the 100 free with a mark of 55.03 to complete her freestyle sprint double.
Lyons then put an exclamation point on her final home meet with a 2:08.78 in the 200 back, breaking her own pool record by .17 seconds and heading up a 1-2 finish that also included May (2:09.14).
Junior Haley Sturla picked up a win in the 200 breast (2:27.64) before Grace Pereles broke up the Bears' sweep with a victory in the 500 free. Longenecker was second in that race with a 5:29.13.
Baker then paced a 1-2-3 sweep in the 100 fly with a 57.96. Timuscuk was second and Schultz placed third.
Lyons wound up second in the 200 IM (2:16.16) as Tara Kupsky earned the second individual win of the afternoon for the Diplomats.
May, Kurzinsky, Lear, and Baker capped the meet with a win in the 400 free relay (3:41.46).
The Bears continue the regular season at Washington College next Saturday, February 2.
