Results
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - The Messiah men's swimming team opened the 2018-19 season with an 118-83 victory over the Lycoming Warriors on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons claimed eight of the 11 men's events that were contested on Saturday, including six individual events as well as the 400 Medley Relay and the 200 Free Relay.
Ridge Hagar claimed two individual events, earning first in the 200 IM (2:06.41) and the 100 Free (50.42) to lead the Falcons on the afternoon. Four other individuals also claimed events with
Daniel Logan (200 Free, 1:49.29),
Andrew Leeper (50 Free, 22.45),
Anthony Pompei (200 Fly, 2:12.42), and
Mason Kennedy (500 Free, 5:24.82) each earning the top spot in one event.
How It Happened
The Falcons got the day started with a thrilling victory in the 400 Medley Relay.
Daniel Logan anchored the relay with an impressive split time of 48.97 in the final leg, chasing down Lycoming and helping the Falcons to a victory by less than four tenths of a second. Messiah's winning team of
Ridge Hagar,
Anthony Pompei,
Andrew Leeper and Logan finished with a time of 3:45.95, just ahead of Lycoming's time of 3:46.33.
Logan's strong day would continue into the individual events. The sophomore, also won the 200 Free with a time of 1:49.29, over four and a half seconds ahead of Lycoming's Jordan Callan, who finished in second with a time of 1:53.95.
Mason Kennedy finished in third place in the event with a time of 1:57.00, but he showcased his abilities in a slightly longer race later in the meet, winning the 500 Free in a time of 5:24.82 for his first career victory. Just behind Kennedy in the 500 Free was teammate
Eli McCabe, touching the wall in second-place with a time of 5:30.06.
Tyler Wilkinson highlighted the Falcons' finish in the 200 Back, taking third with a time of 2:03.47 in his first-ever effort in the race.
Jake Valentine also earned a third-place finish for the Falcons finishing the 200 Breast in 2:40.09, the best finish in the event for the Falcons on the afternoon.
Andrew Leeper and
David Welch went one-two in the 50 Free. Leeper led the field with a time of 22.45 and Welch finished just over a second behind, getting to the wall in 23.79 to place second. The Falcons also took the top two spots in the 100 Free thanks to strong races from
Ridge Hagar and
Jake Valentine. One of Hagar's two wins on the day came in the event when the sophomore finished in a time of 50.42. Valentine's time of 55.97 placed him second in the event.
Hagar's other victory came in the 200 IM, when he finished the race in 2:06.41, finishing just over two seconds ahead of the Warriors' Jake Booth (2:08.60). Senior
Kurtis Platteel netted a third-place finish with his time of 2:13.91.
Anthony Pompei was the lone Falcon to complete in the 200 Fly, but the senior won the event with a time of 2:12.42 almost exactly a second ahead of Lycoming's Will Gillespie (2:13.41), who finished in second place. Pompei's final lap was 2.47 seconds faster than Gillespie's last lap and helped carry him to the win.
Eli McCabe (11:36.12) and
Joshua Simmons (12:08.68) each took home top-three finishes in the 1000 Free taking second and third place, respectively.
The Falcons closed out the dual with a victory in the 200 Free Relay with Pompei, Wilkinson, Logan, and Leeper in a time of 1:30.12. The final three legs of the race were all sub-22.40 times for the Falcons and helped lead them to a seven-plus second victory in the race.
Thoughts From The Team
"I remember as a freshman just how different it was swimming for the first time as a Falcon. It was really cool to remember that feeling and re-live it as the freshmen swam in their first meet." -
Joshua Simmons
"We are swimming Widener and Hood next weekend at Widener. There will be a lot of really solid competition which excites us. Preparing for the next meet looks like taking time to rest with the Lord on Sunday, and asking him for wisdom as to how to walk with him through this week." - Head Coach
Katie McComb
What's Up Next
Messiah will be back in the pool next Saturday when they travel to Widener to take on the Widener Pride and the Hood Blazers in a double-dual with two conference teams. The meet is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.
