Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Rutgers Invite
Black Knights Have Strong Outing at Rutgers Invite
October 08, 2023 | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Army West Point men's and women's swimming and diving teams had a solid performance at the Rutgers Invite. Junior Owen Harlow finished first in the 50 and 100 Free and sophomore Molly Webber placed first in the 200 Free and second in the 500 Free.
The Men's Meet
On the men's side, the Black Knights had 18 top-two finishes. Sophomore Brice Barrieault and junior Wes Tate earned gold and silver in the 500 Free with times of 4:32.68 and 4:32.74 respectively. Senior Ian Tansill also finished third with a final time of 4:34.86.
In the 200 Free Relay, the Black Knights' depth was on display, with Army's Owen Harlow, Thomas Hadji, Nathan Jao, and Owen Harlow winning the event by almost a full second.
In the 200 IM, junior Alex Edwards placed second in the 200 IM with a final time of 1:50.46. Sam Wesley also finished third with a time of 1:51.81. Junior Owen Harlow was first in the 50 and 100 Free with times of 20.47 and 45.22 respectively. Harlow's time in the 50 Free was the second fastest time in the conference.
In his collegiate debut, freshman Kalvin Hahn placed first in the 400 IM (3:56.96), just .7 off of reaching Army's All-Time Top Ten. So far in the season, Hahn is the only Patriot League swimmer with an under-four-minute mark. Also in the 400 IM, CJ Bernauer earned bronze with a time of 4:02.61, and Sam Wesley finished fifth with a time of 4:05.79. So far in the season, the Black Knights have the top four spots in the Patriot League.
Army's Kohen Rankin placed first in the 100 and 200 Breast with a final time of 54.65 and 2:01.74 respectively. Army's Wes Tate also saw success in the pool, earning gold in the 200 Free (1:39.52), winning by almost a full second. In the 500 Free, Army swept the top three positions with Brice Barrieault, Wes Tate, and Ian Tansill earning first, second, and third respectively. In his collegiate debut, freshman Thomas Hadji was sixth in the 50 Free with a time of 21.42.
Army's Thomas Hadji, Wes Tate, Nathan Jao, and Owen Harlow were a part of the winning 400 Free Relay team, finishing first with a time of 3:00.21. In the 200 Medley Relay Alex Edwards, Kohen Rankin, James Pinter, and Owen Harlow earned bronze with a final time of 1:31.03. Army's Alex Edwards, Kohen Rankin, James Pinter, and Owen Harlow also won the 400 Medley with a time of 3:20.27. At anchor, Harlow recorded the fasted relay split. While Edwards and Rankin had the second-fastest back and breast relay splits respectively.
On the boards, junior Isaac Newman finished first in the 1M Dive with a final score of 314.70, qualifying for an NCAA Zone. Newman also earned fourth in the 3M Dive with a score of 258.55. David Manelis also finished second in the 1M dive with a score of 263.50 and placed second in the 3M Dive with a final score of 281.25.
The Women's Meet
On the women's side, Army had 13 top-two finishes. Sophomore Molly Webber earned gold in the 200 Free with a time of 1:51.67 and finished second in the 500 and 1000 Free with times of 5:01.17 and 10:17.35 respectively. Aurelie Migault placed first in the 100 (1:02. 84) and 200 Breast (2:16.35), winning by over three seconds. She also earned bronze in the 200 IM (2:06.06), posting a top-three time in the Patriot League.
Senior Melinda Zhang also saw success in the pool, finishing first in the 200 Fly with a final time of 2:02.91, posting a top conference time by nearly two seconds. Zhang also placed second in 200 IM with a time of 2:05.07. Margaret Kroening also earned second place in 200 Fly with a time of 2:06.43. Clara Williams earned second place in finish in the 200 Free with a final time of 1:53.18. Army's Layne Peterson finished second in 100 Back with a time of 57.62. Peterson also earned silver in 200 Back with a final time of 2:02.37.
In the 200 Free Relay, Army's Tiana Mescher, Clara Williams, Rea Smith, and Molly Webber placed second with a time of 1:36.79, with Webber putting up the second-fastest time in the league. Also, in the 400 Medley Relay, Zhang, Catriona Gilmore, Smith, and Mescher finished fourth (1:46.25) with Melinda Zhang having the fastest fly split in the event.
On the boards, junior Minh Donnell placed second in the 1M Dive with a final score of 261.30. In the 3M Dive, freshman Ava Ramirez finished seventh with a score of 247.10.
For complete results, click HERE.
Cadet's Corner
"The team brought an awesome energy to the meet this weekend. It was a lot of racing in a short amount of time, but everyone pushed each other and gave it their all. I think this meet was a good indicator of the trajectory of our season and the character of our team: a group of hardworking individuals focused on details and ready to bring lots of passion to our meets." – Molly Webber
"I'm super proud of the team and how we performed at Rutgers. We're starting to get into our more intense training period and the performances at this meet look like we will set up really well down the road. The energy of all the teams at Rutgers brought a competitive atmosphere similar to what you would find at higher-level meets. Not only does this make the meet super energetic, but it also prepares us for high-pressure performances. Again, super proud of how the team performed and can't wait to see where we go from here!" – Kohen Rankin
Coach's Corner
"We had a great time and learned a lot at the Rutgers Preseason Tune-Up Meet!!
For an early-season meet, there was a lot of energy and excitement on the pool deck. Each team was loud and raced with pride and purpose - it made the meet feel like a championship-caliber meet which is tough to do in early October. We have been training well and hard for a few weeks now, but the team raced very well. There were many swims this weekend that were faster than we've ever been at this point. We learned a lot of some of the skills and details we need to continue to work on in practice over the next few weeks.
I was proud of how the team carried themselves through tough sessions in just over 24 hours. We have a lot to work on and get better at but overall this meet was a success and sets us up well for future meets!!" – Head Coach Brandt Nigro
"We had a solid start to the competitive season. There are always some things we can work on to improve even more. The divers' mindsets are in the right place, energy levels were high, and with a few more technique adjustments the potential is there for an incredible season." – Head Diving Coach Connor Dorff
Up Next
The Black Knights will take on Princeton in a scrimmage on Friday, October 13 at 3:00 p.m.
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.
Players Mentioned
