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

LANCASTER, Pa. – Sophomore Matt Libby (Freeport, Maine/Cheverus) smashed the conference and school record in the 100-free, winning the event while hitting his second NCAA “B” cut of the meet to lead the Gettysburg College swimming teams on the third and final day of the Centennial Conference Championships Sunday evening at Franklin & Marshall College's Kunkel Aquatic Center.

The women's team had its string of three consecutive conference titles broken by Franklin & Marshall College, which pulled away with big performances in the 1,650-free and the 200-fly. F&M finished with 681 points while the Bullets took second with 637 points.

In the men's team standings, F&M won with 845 points while Swarthmore College was second with 732 points. Gettysburg came in third with 520 points.

Libby wiped out the oldest school record on the books at Gettysburg. With a time of 45.73, he took over a second off the former record of 46.88 set by Tyler Bierly in 1987. He was also 0.83 seconds better than the former conference record of 46.56 set by Angel Prado of Washington (Md.) College in 1997 and is Gettysburg's first 100-free champion since Justin Fanslau in 2005.

Libby concluded a superb meet with three gold medals (100-free, 100-fly, 200 free relay), two silvers (100 back, 800 free relay), two bronze (400 medley relay, 400 free relay), two school records, two NCAA “B” cuts, and one conference record. He also set the school record and achieved a “B” cut in the 100-back on Saturday.

For the transfer from Indian River College in Florida, Libby feels as if his first year at Gettysburg has been a success.

“It's been great,” said Libby. “It's a lot different from where I came from, but it's a great school. I have a lot of hard-working teammates. It was a good choice.”

The women's team entered the final day of the meet just nine points out of first place, but lost 33 points to Franklin & Marshall in Sunday night's first event, the 1,650-free. The Bullets made up 35 points over the next two events, however, to pull to within nine (551-542), but F&M put the meet away in the 200-fly, outscoring the Bullets 43-9 in the event to build an insurmountable 47-point advantage heading into the final event, the 400-free relay.

“For a young team, they learned a lot,” said head coach Mike Rawleigh. “We were a little weak in some spots, but they did a nice job. They have nothing to hang their heads about.”

Leading the women's team with its first gold medal of the championships was freshman Brooke Lacey (Darien, Conn./Darien), who touched first in the 200-breast in 2:27.03. She was joined on the medal stand in the same event by classmate Katie Timmerman (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon), who was third in 2:28.55.

Senior Patrice Boucher (Bryn Mawr, Pa./Shipley School) also pocketed a medal, taking the bronze in the 200-back (2:13.76) for the second year in a row. Also qualifying for the “A” finals and placing among the top-eight were junior Maggie Mulderrig (Baltimore, Md./Notre Dame Prep School) in the 100-free (fourth, 54.57), freshman Siobhan Collins (Darnestown, Md./Bullis School) in the 200-back (fifth, 2:15.35), freshman Cassie Close (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) in the 200-back (sixth, 2:16.42), freshman Caroline Coolidge (South Windsor, Conn./Kingswood-Oxford) in the 100-free (sixth, 55.18), senior Alex Newman (Holmdel, N.J./Holmdel) in the 1,650-free (seventh, 18:19.12), and junior Susannah Ferrer (Darien, Conn./Darien) in the 100-free (seventh, 55.20).

Earning additional points in the “B” finals were sophomore Kayte Demont (Cumberland, Maine/North Yarmouth Academy) in the 200-back (ninth, 2:15.04), senior Johanna Persing (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) in the 200-fly (12th, 2:22.74), sophomore Mariesa Slaughter (Harrisonville, Mo./Harrisonville) in the 200-fly (13th, 2:23.12), and freshman Cheryl Olechnowicz (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac) in the 1,650-free (16th, 19:16.17).

Gettysburg also captured the bronze in the only relay event, as Coolidge, Ferrer, Boucher, and Mulderrig were clocked at 54.08 in the 400-free.

For the men's team, junior Adam Taft (Wilton, Conn./Wilton) also came away with an individual medal on Sunday, taking runner-up honors in the 200-back (1:54.96). It was the third year in a row that Taft medaled in the event after winning it in each of the past two seasons.

Other Bullets who gained points in the “A” finals were sophomore Pat McDevitt (Drexel Hill, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) in the 200-back (sixth, 1:57.22), junior Donald Bennett (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) in the 200-back (eighth, 1:59.43), sophomore Tom Everett (Timonium, Md./McDonogh School) in the 100-free (eighth, 48.08), and sophomore Roger Nawrocki (Acton, Mass./Acton Boxborough) in the 200-breast (eighth, 2:16.58).

Competing in the “B” finals were sophomore Drew Close (Berwyn, Pa./Haverford School) in the 100-free (10th, 47.70), sophomore Paul Besancon (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) in the 100-free (14th, 49.06), sophomore Andy Smith (Acton, Mass./Acton Boxborough Regional) in the 200-breast (13th, 2:21.84), sophomore Kevin Sheridan (Lawrence, N.J./Notre Dame) in the 1,650-free (14th, 17:45.45), and senior Alex Soult (Mt. Holly, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) in the 200-fly (16th, 2:09.34).

In the only relay of the night, the Bullets claimed the bronze in the 400-free, as Close, Everett, Nawrocki, and Libby were timed at 3:09.64. Libby swam a 45.03-second split in the anchor leg, making up a large deficit and nearly giving his team the silver.

Libby will find out if he makes the final cut to compete in the 100-back or 100-free at the NCAA Division III Championships when the field is announced Friday, March 5. The championships will be held March 17-20 at University Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in Minneapolis, Minn.