Sophomore Sean Lee was among the quartet of Penn swimmers who won the 200 medley relay this weekend at West Chester.
Credit: Son NguyenTwo different seasons, one similar ending.
Penn swimming wrapped up dual meet season with a sweep of Division II West Chester on Saturday. The men (8-2, 5-2 Ivy) finished up a strong regular season with a 196-100 victory while the women (3-7, 1-6) wrapped up a challenging year with a 173-126 win.
On the men’s side, the continued success of senior Mark Andrew helped spark the Quakers' hot start. Andrew won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 51.92 seconds and the 200 medley relay alongside senior Colin McHugh, sophomore Sean Lee, and sophomore Nathaniel Cunnan. The group finished with a time of 1:32.36.
The relay success helped to launch individual victories for Lee in the 50 and 100 freestyle, where he posted times of 20.84 and 46.82, respectively. McHugh, for his part, claimed the 100 breaststroke, finishing with a time of 57.92.
Sophomore Will Thomas also proved to be a key contributor to the Quakers' victories in the 1000 free with a time of 9:33.56 and the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:56.51.
The men also had victories from senior Andrew Bologna, freshman Zach Althoff, freshman James Hopper, sophomore Keanan Dols, and junior Matthew Haigh. When it was all said and done, Penn collected 14 of 16 victories, including the first 12 events.
While the men's team came into the meet riding high, the women have struggled all season. However, this week marked a change of momentum for the team heading into Ivy Championship season.
Powered by a trio of freshmen, the Quakers totaled eight victories, the first of which came from Tara Larusso, who took the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:55.80. Another freshman contributor was Hannah Kannan, who placed first in the 100 back with a time of 57.06. Finally, Catherine Buroker won the 500 free with a time of 5:03.58.
The women were also supported by the strong diving of sophomore Juliet Pozzuoli, who claimed the one and three-meter diving events. Junior Serena Xue won both the 100 and 200 breast with times of 1:06.92 and 2:22.23. The remaining win came from sophomore Joanne Fu, who took the 200 butterfly by posting a time of 2:06.88.
Both teams will look to use their success this weekend as a tune-up to prepare for the Ivy League Championships, which will begin on Feb. 20 for the women and Feb. 27 for the men.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate