BALTIMORE — Loyola University Maryland's men's and women's swimming and diving teams surged to early leads at the Thomas Murphy Invitational on Friday, combining for 1,892 points to top the team standings after Day One of competition.
The Greyhounds' men's squad leads all teams with 963 points, while the women's team sits atop their leaderboard with 929 points. Both teams delivered standout performances, including multiple top-five finishes across individual and relay events.
Women's Highlights
Loyola's "A" team of
Virginia Walsh,
Bryce Gold,
Christine Datovech, and
Haley Robinson opened the meet with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay, clocking a winning time of 1:40.78.
In the 500-yard freestyle,
Michela Schultz placed second in 4:57.83, followed by
Faith Karr in sixth (5:03.55) and
Adrianna Caponiti in ninth (5:08.33).
Ellie Davis added an 11th-place finish in the B final with a time of 5:05.42, while
Elsie Bredbenner was 13th in 5:08.22.
The 200-yard individual medley saw
Riley Fried take second in 2:04.66, with
Kate O'Brien finishing third in 2:06.42, and
Bryce Gold placing fifth in 2:07.38.
Julia Mason rounded out the top nine in 2:09.19.
In the 50-yard freestyle, Loyola dominated with
Haley Robinson winning in a meet-record time of 23.10, followed closely by
Christine Datovech in second (23.27) and
Gianna Davis in fourth (23.64).
Gabby Jones (7th, 24.01) and Cecilia Van Lierop (8th, 24.18) also placed in the top 10.
The women's 800-yard freestyle relay "A" team of Van Lierop, O'Brien, Schultz, and Fried secured second place with a time of 7:28.58, just behind Towson.
Men's Highlights
The men's 200-yard medley relay "A" team of
Joe Hayburn,
Brennan Coyle, Hans Van Lierop, and
Derek Feldman claimed first place in 1:26.61, while the "B" team finished second in 1:28.36. Hayburn set a pool record in the 50 backstroke with his leadoff split of 21.56.
In the 500-yard freestyle, Loyola placed four swimmers in the top five:
Kiernan Leary (2nd, 4:33.00),
Cody Miles (3rd, 4:33.05),
Thomas Cechini (6th, 4:35.41), and
Hayden Bartz (9th, 4:39.80).
Chase Garcia won the B final in 4:35.94, and Pierre Leroy followed in 11th (4:39.18).
The 200-yard individual medley featured a Loyola sweep, led by
Luke Dwyer (1st, 1:50.66),
JD Moyer (3rd, 1:51.29),
Owen Glaser (4th, 1:51.41), and
Michael Venit (6th, 1:51.87).
Derek Feldman added an 11th-place finish in the B final (1:51.64).
In the 50-yard freestyle,
Joe Hayburn won in 20.28, with teammates
Brennan Coyle and Hans Van Lierop tying for second at 20.50.
Liam Schindler (5th, 20.70) and
Gavin Abelende (7th, 20.74) rounded out the top finishes.
The men's 800-yard freestyle relay "B" team of Bartz, Dwyer, Glaser, and
Colin Davis placed third in 6:43.37, while the "A" team finished fourth in 6:45.77.
Loyola will look to continue its strong showing as the Thomas Murphy Invitational resumes Saturday at the Mangione Pool at the Fitness and Aquatics Center.
