USMMA And Scranton Split Landmark Dual Meet

KINGS POINT, N.Y. - Four Mariners won two individual events to help lead the United States Merchant Marine Academy men's swimming and diving team to a 130-58 win over Scranton on Saturday afternoon. This marked the first Landmark Conference dual meet for the Mariners as well as their home opener at the O'Hara Hall Natatorium. The Mariners factored in to season best performances, but the United States Merchant Marine Academy women's swimming and diving team took a 159-58 loss to Scranton on Saturday afternoon.

On the men's side USMMA improved to 5-1 overall in dual meets, 1-0 in Landmark Conference action. Scranton dropped to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in Landmark Conference meets.

"The men performed well today and exceeded expectations after coming off of a difficult training trip in Florida," said co-captain Stuart Whitaker after the meet. "Jay Carpenter, John Fields, Erik Johnsen and Nicholas Halbach all stepped up and led the men's team. Each (of them finished) with two victories."

Carpenter won the 50 yard freestyle in 22.08 seconds and the 100 yard butterfly in 53.71 seconds. Fields placed first in the 200 yard individual medley (2:04.77) as well as the 100 yard freestyle (49.96 seconds). Johnsen posted winning times in the 200 yard freestyle (1:53.22) and the 500 yard freestyle (5:09.06) and dropped a second off his season best time in the 200. Halbach once again met NCAA qualifying standards in both diving events. He finished with 289.35 points on the high board and with 270 points on the low board.

David Scarberry swam two season best times at the meet. First, he won the 1000 yard freestyle in 10:42.47 and dropped 14 seconds off his season best time. He also dropped three seconds in the 500 yard freestyle and clocked in at 5:10.65.

Scott Pearson was victorious in the 100 yard backstroke (55.91 seconds) while Whitaker swam the fastest time in the 100 yard breaststroke. The co-captain clocked in at 1:02.72.

Several other Mariners posted season best times at the meet. Chris Funke dropped 24 seconds in the 1000 yard freestyle, finishing in 11:01.13. Scott Heilman (1:58.94) and John KlockeJohn Murphy swam season best times in the 100 yard butterfly (1:00.33) and the 100 yard backstroke (56.08 seconds). He dropped five seconds in the fly event and a second in the back. (2:01.10) each chipped off six seconds in the 200 yard freestyle.

USMMA also won both relay events. Scott Pearson, Carpenter, Johnsen and Fields teamed up to post a time of 1:40.40 at the beginning of the meet. Nick Krupa, Nicholas Chester, Pavel MilkeAndrew Denning combined to swim the fastest time (1:30.62) in the 200 yard freestyle relay at the tail end of the meet. and

In the women's meet the University of Scranton, behind two first-place finishes apiece by sophomores Jillian Mishko (Blakely, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) and Lauren Wieland (Blue Bell, Pa./Wissahickon), finished first in 11 of 12 events.

Mishko won the 50 free (:26.87) and 100 (1:09.22) backstroke, while Wieland captured first-place honors in the 200 (2:04.98) and 500 (5:29.26) free, as the Royals improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Landmark Conference. 

Scranton also received a first-place finish from sophomore Mary Pat DeHaven (Pennington, N.J./Hopewell Valley Central) in the 1000 free (11:39.34), freshman Maria Borowski (Clark, N.J./Mount Saint Mary Academy) in the 200 individual medley (2:29.19), junior Erin O'Connor (Scotch Plains, N.J./Union Catholic Regional) in the 100 fly (1:04.57), junior Lauren Hosko (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) in the 100 free (:58.44) and senior Gina Miller (Secane, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) in the 100 breaststoke (1:16.92). The Royals also won both relays. 

Hosko, freshman Laura Joyce (Archbald, Pa./Scranton Preparatory), O'Connor and senior Danielle Heffernan (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) won the 200 medley in 2:00.83, while Heffernan, senior Tricia Wenke (Springfield, Pa./Springfield), Miller and senior Gillian Shea (Freeport, N.Y./Freeport) captured the 200 freestyle relay in 1:40.46.