Men's Results | Women's Results | Team Scores

LANCASTER, Pa. – Sophomores Drew Close (Berwyn, Pa./Haverford School), Tom Everett (Timonium, Md./McDonogh School), Roger Nawrocki (Acton, Mass./Acton Boxborough), and Matt Libby (Freeport, Maine/Cheverus) won the 200-free relay in thrilling fashion, leading the Gettysburg College swimming teams Friday on Day One of the Centennial Conference Championships, hosted by Franklin & Marshall College at the Kunkel Aquatic Center.

Through the first five events, the men's team is in fourth place with 140 points while the women have jumped to an early lead, scoring 196 points, 18 points more than Washington (Md.) College. Franklin & Marshall leads the men's competition with 258 points.

It was déjà vu all over again for the 200-free relay squad, which led off the men's finals competition with a nearly identical victory from its dual meet win over Dickinson College earlier this month. After Libby rallied the Bullets from over a second behind to win the same race by a hundredth of a second and give Gettysburg the dual meet victory at Dickinson, Libby did it again on Friday, taking his team from third to first with his blazing 20.55-second split. He made up a 0.58-second gap against the Red Devils and a 0.23-second difference against F&M to give the Bullets the win in 1:25.52, 0.07 ahead of Dickinson.

The relay team's title marked the Bullet men's first relay gold since the foursome of Derek Claiborne, Brian Pernice, Michael Hughes, and Justin Fanslau captured the 400-free relay in 2005. It was also the Bullets first 200-free relay victory since Dave Lavigne, Jon Hegna, Tom Leupold, and Dave Walters earned the gold in 2001.

Nawrocki turned in the men's team best individual performance, taking fourth in the 200-IM in 2:00.26. Placing seventh was Everett in the 50-free (22.03) while Close finished eighth in the 500-free (4:48.53).

Also advancing to Friday night's finals and earning team points were junior Adam Taft (Wilton, Conn./Wilton) in the 500-free (12th, 4:52.05), junior Stephen Stopenski (Merchantville, N.J./Bishop Eustace Prep) in the 500-free (15th, 4:57.34), and freshman Francis Navia (Summit, N.J./Summit) in the 200-IM (2:05.03).

In the 400-medley relay, Taft, Nawrocki, Libby, and Close took third in 3:33.25, just two-hundredths of a second off the school record set at last year's championship.

On the women's side, junior Maggie Mulderrig (Baltimore, Md./Notre Dame Prep) led the way with her 11th, 12th, and 13th career medals, including a bronze in the 50-free (24.59). Freshman Katie Timmerman (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon) took seventh in the 500-free (5:16.41) while senior Alex Newman (Holmdel, N.J./Holmdel) was eighth in the same event (5:18.12).

Others who earned points in the “B” finals were freshmen Deirdre Purdy (Bedford, N.Y./Fox Lane) in the 50-free (23.50), Alex Olechnowicz (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac) in the 500-free (5:23.43), and Cassie Close (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) in the 50-free (26.26).

In the relays, the 400-medley team of Close, freshman Brooke Lacey (Darien, Conn./Darien), Mulderrig, and freshman Caroline Coolidge (South Windsor, Conn./Kingswood-Oxford) captured runner-up honors, finishing in 4:05.14, while the 200-free squad of Mulderrig, Purdy, Close, and Coolidge took third in 1:40.74.

Day Two of the championships begins on Saturday at 10 a.m. Saturday's finals start at 6 p.m.