NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Two Saint Michael's College women's swimmers accounted for a trio of appearances in finals races on Saturday during day three of the four-day Northeast-10 Conference Championship in Southern Connecticut State University's Hutchison Natatorium. The Purple Knight women's swimming & diving squad maintained its sixth-place standing among nine institutions, with its 176 points edging out Le Moyne College (175). The men stand seventh out of seven schools with 162 points, six shy of Adelphi University. Sunday's preliminary races begin at 10 a.m. before the finals kick off at 6 p.m.
First-year Lindsay McNall (Colchester, Vt./Colchester) set her seventh school record of the season, eclipsing the 100-yard backstroke mark twice on Saturday. During the trials, she clocked in at 59.01, besting junior Steph Nadow's (Charlton, Mass./Saint Peter-Marian) record of 1:00.09 set last season, thus becoming the first woman in program history to break one minute in the event. In the finals, when McNall claimed fourth place, she again lowered the standard, this time to 58.86. McNall also took seventh in the 200-yard freestyle at 1:58.72.
Senior Julie Mullowney (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) qualified for the fourth finals race of her career at an NE-10 meet, taking eighth in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:10.34) after clocking in at 1:08.83 during the trials, coming within 0.18 seconds of her own school mark. First-year Lauren Wheaton (Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) was 14th in the event, clocking in at 1:12.25 to trim 0.21 seconds off of her time during the preliminary heat, and senior Jill Connors (Dedham, Mass./Archbishop Williams) took 15th in 1:14.08, cutting 0.54 ticks.
In the 200 free relay, McNall, Mullowney, junior Kim Brady (Morris Township, N.J./Academy of Saint Elizabeth) and sophomore Luci Franklin (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Lowell Whiteman School) placed sixth in 1:42.03, just 1.31 seconds shy of a school record. The "B" quartet of Wheaton, senior Maddie Craig (Westwood, Mass./Westwood), sophomore Catherine Tierney (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth) and first-year Cymantha Rogers (Swampscott, Mass./Swampscott) placed 15th in 1:53.01. First-year Katrina Wiesner (Bow, N.H./Bow) touched the wall in 1:04.05 during the 100-yard butterfly trials, coming within 0.04 seconds of qualifying for the "B" finals race.
During the men's portion of the meet, first-year Seth Boudreau (Saint Albans, Vt./BFA-Saint Albans) was 10th in the 100 back at 58.04, taking 1.51 seconds off of the time he recorded during the morning trials. Senior Jack Mulderrig (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) was 15th during the 400-yard individual medley at 4:45.15, while sophomore Chad Phalon (Wantage, N.J./Pope John XXIII Regional) placed 16th in 4:49.88, which was 3.17 seconds quicker than his preliminary time. In the 100 breast, junior Nathan Paluso (Windham, Maine/Windham) came in 15th with a time of 1:03.75, shaving 1.46 seconds off his trials showing.
In the 200 free relay, sophomores Brandon MacPherson (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) and Joe Thomas (Norwood, Mass./Boston College HS) joined first-years Stephen Andersen (Concord, N.H./Concord) and Cam Thirkell (Tyngsboro, Mass./Tyngsboro) to take seventh place in 1:36.26. The Purple Knights' second foursome claimed 13th in 1:38.58, with Boudreau, Mulderrig, sophomore Nick Johns (Seaford, N.Y./Saint Anthony's) and first-year Ryan Butler (Waltham, Mass./Waltham) all swimming legs.
