The Cabrini men’s and women’s swim team’s three-day meet at the 2012 Longnecker Invitational/Allegheny Mountain Colligate Conference Championships came to an end on Saturday, Feb. 18. Both the men’s and women’s teams finished in third place after the weekend of competition ended.
“This meet was challenging because we had a lot of close races within our conference,” Breaghann Smith, sophomore psychology major, said.
Freshman Melanie Felkner finished day two with a victory in the 400-yard medley and also posted a time of 1:05.83 in the 100-yard butterfly.
The men also had a strong weekend. Freshman Evan Strickland grabbed second place during the 100-yard butterfly on day two.
“Evan had an outstanding freshman year,” Walter Jesuncosky, senior history major said. “The first time I met this kid I knew he was going to be something special and I cannot wait to see what else he has in store for the next three years.”
Jesuncosky and Strickland, along with sophomores Tim McCann and Brandon Mazepa, finished day three of the event with a fourth-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle.
On day three, Smith finished third in the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 19:57.36.
“Before any meet, I like to try to visualize my races,” Smith said. “I also like to do relaxation exercises and keep a positive attitude to calm myself down because I tend to get very anxious before my race.”
Fellow women’s swimmer Devin McKenna reflected on the experience.
“It was a great championship meet and, overall, I think I did really well for a freshman,” Devin McKenna, exercise science and health promotion major, said.
Jesuncosky, who posted a time of 1:54.68 in the 200-yard medley relay on day two, was proud of his performance despite having to battle through an injury.
“I have been going through complications with a separated shoulder, so I haven’t been able to compete at 100 percent for about a month now,” Jesuncosky said.
Tim McCann posted a time of 18:38.16 in the 1650-yard freestyle on the final day of the competition.
“I do believe that I performed to the best of my ability,” McCann, sophomore history major, said. “I set my time at the beginning of the year, which was a 19:44, so that was a significant drop to me.”
The Cavs may have finished in third place but according to McCann, the meet was fun for him and his teammates.
“All the teams there were very nice and supportive,” McCann said. “We made a lot of friends with the other teams.”
