Army West Point Athletics

Army Drops Highly Competitive Battle to Navy in Star Meet
December 09, 2021 | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – At the end of one of the closest competitions in the recent history of the Star Meet, as presented by USAA, the Army West Point swimming & diving team dropped a pair of results to Navy on Thursday evening at Lejeune Hall.
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The men suffered a narrow defeat at 158-142, while the women were downed 230-70.
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For the men, the decision came down to the final events as the Black Knights were able to keep things within striking distance throughout the course of the night. The team used strong performances from Evan Zhang and Owen Harlow, who set program and freshman records respectively, to score the most team points against the Mids since 2016.
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Though Navy was able to pull away on both sides, Army's action was highlighted by event sweeps and numerous hard-fought victories.
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The Men's Meet
In the first Star Meet in front of fans since 2019, the racing between the Black Knights (3-3, 0-1 PL) and the Mids (7-1, 1-0 PL) was intense out of the gate. Though Navy opened up the night by grabbing two-straight wins in the 200 Medley Relay and the 1000 Free, Army responded with a dominant performance in the 200 Free by sweeping the event. Tanner Falls paced the team with a 1:36.56 swim and was followed by Kevin Lin and Sean Dwyer.
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The teams traded wins in the next four races, as Navy secured the 100 Back and the 200 Fly, while Army took the 100 Breast and 50 Free thanks to Zhang and Harlow. After swimming an NCAA B Cut in the 50 Free, Harlow went on to capture his second-straight event when he took home the 100-yard race. He was followed closely by Falls, who out-touched the third-place Mid by over half a second to help the team collect key points.
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Over the course of the following events, the Midshipmen began to distance themselves from the Cadets. Navy touched the wall first in the 200 Back, the 500 Free and the 100 Fly to gain some momentum down the stretch. While Zhang prevented the home team from making it four-straight wins by earning his second win of the night in the 200 Breast, the Mids used a sweep in the 100-yard butterfly to take their biggest lead of the meet.
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On the boards, Daniel Alaimo contributed yet another victory for the Black Knights as he scored 335.25 in the 1m event to lead the field. He was joined in the top-two by David Manelis, who placed second overall. Alaimo additionally led the team on the 3m event, though he was unable to pull off the diving sweep as a Midshipman outscored him, forcing him to take second. Â
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With just two races left, the final result was still up for grabs as Army's consistent effort kept the team in it. Though Navy was able to put the meet away with a first-place swim in the 200 IM, the quartet of Harlow, Falls, Jacob Powell and Nick Isenhower helped the Cadets finish on a high note by winning the 400 Free Relay with a time of 2:55.95. Â
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The Women's Meet
Army (3-5, 0-1 PL) brought a lot of fight to its date with Navy (7-1, 1-0 PL) and battled its way onto the podium in all but four of the competition's 16 events.
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The Mids opened up their home pool with three-straight victories before Lauren Carag snapped the scoring with a win in the 100 Back. Her time of 55.24 bested the second-place mark of 55.48 to help the Cadets gain some early momentum.
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Though Navy responded with a sweep in the 100 Breast, Melinda Zhang got the Black Knights back into the top three when she touched third in the 200 Fly. Meghan Cole and Sammie Edwards then kept it going for the team in the 50 Free, finishing second and third.
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Edwards continued to have success in the freestyle events, as she picked up another top finish in the 100-yard race when she placed second with a time of 50.83.
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Once again, the Mids used a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 Back to re-distance themselves from the Cadets before Aurelie Migault got the team back on the podium with a second-place swim in the 200-yard breaststroke.
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Minh Donnell continued her exciting freshman campaign with a pair of top-three performances in both the 1- and 3-meter dive. The rookie posted 257.90 points in the 1M event to finish third before repeating the effort on the 3m board with a score of 287.65.
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As the meet wound down, both Meghan Cole (third, 100 Fly) and Jasmine Coe (third, 200 IM) added top finishes for Army to help the team keep up the scoring. Though the Black Knights earned a second-place finish in the final event of the night, the 400 Free Relay, the Mids were able to claim the victory.
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Men's Event Winners
200 Free – Tanner Falls – 1:36.56
100 Breast – Evan Zhang – 53.39 (NCAA B Cut)
50 Free – Owen Harlow – 19.86 (NCAA B Cut, Freshman Record)
1M Dive – Daniel Alaimo – 335.25
100 Free – Owen Harlow – 44.14 (Freshman Record)
200 Breast – Evan Zhang – 1:55.34 (NCAA B Cut, Program Record)
400 Free Relay – Owen Harlow, Tanner Falls, Jacob Powell, Nick Isenhower – 2:55.95
** 500 Free - West Tate - 4:23.73 (Third Overall, Freshman Record)
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Women's Event Winners
100 Back – Lauren Carag – 55.24
Cadet's Corner
"As a plebe, I obviously can't add much to what has happened in the previous years however I have never felt this close to the West Point swim and dive program. The amount of camaraderie and energy that was seen tonight was uncanny to anything I've seen in my career. Everyone came and swam their hearts out. I think we can all say we left it in the pool. Nothing left we could have given. Especially the firsties. As for my races, I did what I had to do for my teammates. So much love to the amazing coaching staff. They have put so much into us and we all see the work. We couldn't be more thankful to have the staff we have. All I have left to say is Patriots is around the corner. Go Army, beat Navy." - Owen Harlow
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Up Next
The Black Knights will enjoy nearly a month-long hiatus before returning to Crandall Pool to take on Penn State on Friday, Jan. 7 at 5 p.m. The action against the Nittany Lions will be the team's first of the new year.
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Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point Swimming & Diving, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_SwimDive and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.
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The men suffered a narrow defeat at 158-142, while the women were downed 230-70.
Â
For the men, the decision came down to the final events as the Black Knights were able to keep things within striking distance throughout the course of the night. The team used strong performances from Evan Zhang and Owen Harlow, who set program and freshman records respectively, to score the most team points against the Mids since 2016.
Â
Though Navy was able to pull away on both sides, Army's action was highlighted by event sweeps and numerous hard-fought victories.
Â
The Men's Meet
In the first Star Meet in front of fans since 2019, the racing between the Black Knights (3-3, 0-1 PL) and the Mids (7-1, 1-0 PL) was intense out of the gate. Though Navy opened up the night by grabbing two-straight wins in the 200 Medley Relay and the 1000 Free, Army responded with a dominant performance in the 200 Free by sweeping the event. Tanner Falls paced the team with a 1:36.56 swim and was followed by Kevin Lin and Sean Dwyer.
Â
The teams traded wins in the next four races, as Navy secured the 100 Back and the 200 Fly, while Army took the 100 Breast and 50 Free thanks to Zhang and Harlow. After swimming an NCAA B Cut in the 50 Free, Harlow went on to capture his second-straight event when he took home the 100-yard race. He was followed closely by Falls, who out-touched the third-place Mid by over half a second to help the team collect key points.
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Over the course of the following events, the Midshipmen began to distance themselves from the Cadets. Navy touched the wall first in the 200 Back, the 500 Free and the 100 Fly to gain some momentum down the stretch. While Zhang prevented the home team from making it four-straight wins by earning his second win of the night in the 200 Breast, the Mids used a sweep in the 100-yard butterfly to take their biggest lead of the meet.
Â
On the boards, Daniel Alaimo contributed yet another victory for the Black Knights as he scored 335.25 in the 1m event to lead the field. He was joined in the top-two by David Manelis, who placed second overall. Alaimo additionally led the team on the 3m event, though he was unable to pull off the diving sweep as a Midshipman outscored him, forcing him to take second. Â
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With just two races left, the final result was still up for grabs as Army's consistent effort kept the team in it. Though Navy was able to put the meet away with a first-place swim in the 200 IM, the quartet of Harlow, Falls, Jacob Powell and Nick Isenhower helped the Cadets finish on a high note by winning the 400 Free Relay with a time of 2:55.95. Â
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The Women's Meet
Army (3-5, 0-1 PL) brought a lot of fight to its date with Navy (7-1, 1-0 PL) and battled its way onto the podium in all but four of the competition's 16 events.
Â
The Mids opened up their home pool with three-straight victories before Lauren Carag snapped the scoring with a win in the 100 Back. Her time of 55.24 bested the second-place mark of 55.48 to help the Cadets gain some early momentum.
Â
Though Navy responded with a sweep in the 100 Breast, Melinda Zhang got the Black Knights back into the top three when she touched third in the 200 Fly. Meghan Cole and Sammie Edwards then kept it going for the team in the 50 Free, finishing second and third.
Â
Edwards continued to have success in the freestyle events, as she picked up another top finish in the 100-yard race when she placed second with a time of 50.83.
Â
Once again, the Mids used a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 Back to re-distance themselves from the Cadets before Aurelie Migault got the team back on the podium with a second-place swim in the 200-yard breaststroke.
Â
Minh Donnell continued her exciting freshman campaign with a pair of top-three performances in both the 1- and 3-meter dive. The rookie posted 257.90 points in the 1M event to finish third before repeating the effort on the 3m board with a score of 287.65.
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As the meet wound down, both Meghan Cole (third, 100 Fly) and Jasmine Coe (third, 200 IM) added top finishes for Army to help the team keep up the scoring. Though the Black Knights earned a second-place finish in the final event of the night, the 400 Free Relay, the Mids were able to claim the victory.
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Men's Event Winners
200 Free – Tanner Falls – 1:36.56
100 Breast – Evan Zhang – 53.39 (NCAA B Cut)
50 Free – Owen Harlow – 19.86 (NCAA B Cut, Freshman Record)
1M Dive – Daniel Alaimo – 335.25
100 Free – Owen Harlow – 44.14 (Freshman Record)
200 Breast – Evan Zhang – 1:55.34 (NCAA B Cut, Program Record)
400 Free Relay – Owen Harlow, Tanner Falls, Jacob Powell, Nick Isenhower – 2:55.95
** 500 Free - West Tate - 4:23.73 (Third Overall, Freshman Record)
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Women's Event Winners
100 Back – Lauren Carag – 55.24
Cadet's Corner
"As a plebe, I obviously can't add much to what has happened in the previous years however I have never felt this close to the West Point swim and dive program. The amount of camaraderie and energy that was seen tonight was uncanny to anything I've seen in my career. Everyone came and swam their hearts out. I think we can all say we left it in the pool. Nothing left we could have given. Especially the firsties. As for my races, I did what I had to do for my teammates. So much love to the amazing coaching staff. They have put so much into us and we all see the work. We couldn't be more thankful to have the staff we have. All I have left to say is Patriots is around the corner. Go Army, beat Navy." - Owen Harlow
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Up Next
The Black Knights will enjoy nearly a month-long hiatus before returning to Crandall Pool to take on Penn State on Friday, Jan. 7 at 5 p.m. The action against the Nittany Lions will be the team's first of the new year.
Â
Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point Swimming & Diving, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_SwimDive and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.
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Players Mentioned
Diving
/ Men's Swimming and DivingBackstroke
/ Women's Swimming and DivingButterfly
/ Women's Swimming and DivingIM/Fly
/ Women's Swimming and DivingDiving
/ Women's Swimming and DivingFreestyle
/ Men's Swimming and DivingFreestyle/IM
/ Women's Swimming and DivingFreestyle/IM
/ Men's Swimming and DivingFree
/ Men's Swimming and DivingFreestyle
/ Men's Swimming and DivingFreestyle/Butterfly
/ Men's Swimming and DivingDiving
/ Men's Swimming and DivingBreaststroke
/ Women's Swimming and DivingFree/IM
/ Men's Swimming and DivingBreaststroke/IM
/ Men's Swimming and DivingIM
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