Patriot League Announces Swimming & Diving Weekly Awards (10.10.2017)

 
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — The first week of 2017-18 swimming & diving season began last Friday with four League teams competing against each other over the weekend while Navy and Army each had dual meets against non-League opponents.
 
American and Loyola Maryland were the first two teams within the League to compete in a double-dual meet last Friday night.  Both women’s and men’s Greyhound teams defeated the Eagles 157-142 and 187-111 respectively. Senior Ben Cono won a pair of individual races in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke as well as contributing to two winning relays – 200-yard freestyle and 200 medley.
 
Lehigh and Boston University squared off in a double-dual meet last Saturday.  The Mountain Hawk women and Terrier men each grabbed their first victory of the 2017-18 season. Lehigh sophomore Payton Miles took first in every event she swam last Saturday. Miles swam the fastest female 50 freestyle in the League last week with a time of 24.12 seconds.
 
Bucknell’s men’s and women’s swimming & diving team begins its season on Friday versus Bryant in a double-dual meet.
 
Coming Up
Friday, October 13
Navy @ UMBC (M/W)
Holy Cross @ New English Catholic Invitational (M/W)
UMass @ Army West Point (M/W)
Bucknell @ Bryant (M/W)
American @ Howard (M/W)
Saturday, October 14
Loyola Maryland @ Colgate (M/W)
Bucknell @ Boston U. (M/W)
Holy Cross @ New England Catholic Invitational (M/W)
 
The swimming & diving weekly awards for Oct. 2 - 8 went to Brayden Lauffer (Navy), Lauren Barber (Navy), Bradley Buchter (Navy) and Megan Fennell (Lehigh).
 
Patriot League Swimming & Diving Weekly Awards

MALE SWIMMER OF THE WEEK
BRAYDEN LAUFFER, NAVY Jr., Apex, N.C.
Lauffer placed first in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:02.75, touching the wall 3.67 seconds before the next swimmer. The junior also won the 200 individual medley (IM) with a time of 1:52.57.
 
FEMALE SWIMMER OF THE WEEK
LAUREN BARBER, NAVY Jr., New Wilmington, Pa.
The defending 2016-17 Patriot League Championship Swimmer of the Meet capped her first meet of the 2017-18 season with first place finishes in each event she swam. The junior also swam the fastest split for the Mids in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 51.74 seconds.
 
MALE DIVER OF THE WEEK
BRADLEY BUCHTER, NAVY So., Hickory, N.C.
Buchter qualified last week for the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships after scoring a 334.80 on the 1-meter and 363.50 on the 3-meter. The sophomore helped the Mids capture their first victory of the 2017-18 season.

FEMALE DIVER OF THE WEEK
MEGAN FENNELL, LEHIGH Fr., Washington, D.C.
Fennell made her collegiate debut by sweeping both the 1- and 3-meter board.  The freshman set a school and first-year record on the 1-meter with a score of 264.90.
 
HONORABLE MENTION


SAM BALUZY, LOYOLA MARYLAND Sr., Brookfield, Conn.
The senior placed first in both the 1- and 3-meter board at last Saturday’s dual meet against American with scores of 254.70 and 265.50 respectively.
 
BEN CONO, LOYOLA MARYLAND Sr., Smithtown, N.Y.
Cono swept the 100 and 200 breaststroke events at last Saturday’s dual meet against American. The senior touched the wall three seconds before the next swimmer in the 100 breaststroke recording a time of 56.10 seconds.
 
PAYTON MILES, LEHIGH So., Limerick, Pa.
Miles helped Lehigh win its first dual meet and program win over Boston U. last Saturday. The defending female 50 freestyle champion opened the season with a win in both the 50 and 100 freestyle and recorded the fastest spilt in the 400 freestyle relay.
  
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.