Swim & Dive Shatters 11 Program Records in Star Meet at Navy

Thursday, December 7

Annapolis, Md.

5:00 PM

Army West Point

147

153

Navy

Swim & Dive Shatters 11 Program Records in Star Meet at Navy

December 07, 2023 | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving

ANNAPOLIS, MD - Army West Point swimming & diving had an exceptional showing at Navy as part of the Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA on Thursday night. The Black Knights broke 11 program records across the 32 events, with the men falling by a score of 153-147 while the women were bested, 162-138.

FULL RESULTS

Beginning with the 200 medley relay, both Army teams set the tone for the meet, each breaking the program record in the event. The quartet of Layne Peterson, Aurelie Migault, Melinda Zhang and Meghan Cole posted a time of 1:39.71, while the men registered a 1:27.34 via Alex Edwards, Kohen Rankin, James Pinter and Owen Harlow as both sides took second place in the event.

Molly Webber got Army out on the front foot in the first individual swimming event of the meet, setting a new Academy Record in the 1000 yard free with a time of 9:58.91 which won the event by over seven seconds. On the men's side, the Black Knights dominated the event with a one-two-three finish via Ian Tansill (9:02.00), CJ Bernauer (9:05.58) and Brice Barrieault (9:05.67) as the Army men got out to an early lead.

Webber continued her dominance in the 200 free, setting a new program record with a time of 1:46.88 which was good for first place in the event. Clara Williams placed third in the event, with a season-best mark of 1:46.88. Army also took the event and set a new program record on the men's side, with Wes Tate posting a time of 1:35.14 to pace the field. Thomas Hadji set a new program record for a plebe as well, landing in third place with a 1:36.18 mark.

Layne Peterson (55.24) and Avery Lord (55.57) paced the Black Knights in the 100 back, placing third and fourth, respectively. Army landed two in the top-three on the men's side, with Alex Edwards (47.26) and Sam Wesley (48.27) landing in second and third. Aurelie Migault and Catriona Gilmore finished one-two in the 100 breast, posting times of 1:00.34 and 1:00.39 to pace the field. Kohen Rankin stole the show in the men's run, recording a new Academy record with his mark of 52.48. Bruce Bannister Jr. placed third (53.13) while Ryan Durkan landed in fourth (53.91) as the Army men extended its lead.

Minh Donnell swept the diving events for the Black Knights, winning both the 1M and 3M with scores of 248.10 and 263.10, respectively. Abigail Gibbs went on to place third in the 3M, posting a score of 246.45. On the men's side, Isaac Newman had the top marks for Army, placing third in the 3M (294.68) and fourth in the 1M (289.73).

"The women killed it, as Minh swept both events" commented head diving coach Connor Dorff. "The men had some tough competition and even dealing with a few Injuries were able to push through and perform well. Overall, we are progressing every day, still lots of work to do, but pleased with their performance today."

Army had a strong showing in the 200 fly, placing three in the top five on the women's side with Melinda Zhang setting the new standard with another Academy record. Zhang paced the Black Knights in second with her time of 1:58.96 while Margaret Kroening placed third with a 1:59.13. Evy Laursen rounded out the Black Knights in the top-five with a 2:02.52. Riley Groves (1:46.38, 3rd) and Jack Mowery (1:46.41, 4th) went on to pick up valuable points on the men's side in the 200 fly.

Zhang and Kroening spoke on the women's performance following the meet, "We cannot describe how proud we are of our team and how we performed tonight. We had some incredible swims this evening that go to show how hard we've been training this semester. Ultimately it came down to a few points and we may have lost in points, but we truly won with the ladies we are surrounded with. Go Army! Beat Navy!"

Meghan Cole posted the top mark for the Black Knights in the 50 free, placing second with a 23.07 showing while Tiana Mescher logged a fourth-place finish in her first Army-Navy meet with a time of 23.34. Harlow went on the finish second (19.77) in the men's run while Ben Vorthmann came in close behind in third (20.02). The Army men went on to have another one-two-three finish in the 100 free, with Harlow once again leading the way with a time of 43.80. Vorthmann (43.96) and Hadji (44.02) rounded out the top-three. On the women's side, Clara Williams led the Black Knights with her time of 50.19 which was good for third place in the meet.

Returning for the 200 back, Peterson once again paced Army, registering third place with her 1:56.34 mark. Plebes continued to make an impact for the Cadets, with Avery Lord also placing fourth (2:00.45). The men continued to keep pace with the Mids, landing three in the top four in the 200 back. Alex Edwards led the way in second place (1:44.30) while Sam Wesley and Joey Kling were close behind to claim third and fourth.

Migault would not let the women go down quietly, besting her own program record again in the 200 breast, this time coming in at 2:09.92. Migault's time was good for first in the event, with Catriona Gilmore tabbing second for Army with her 2:11.37. Needing points down the stretch, Bruce Bannister Jr. also put on a memorable performance in the 200 breast, breaking the men's program record with a new mark of 1:54.73. Bannister landed in second place with Rankin right behind in third.

Webber and Tate continued to shine in the 500 free, as Webber won her third event of the meet (4:49.74) while Clara Williams made it a one-two finish for Army with her 4:54.94 mark. Tate tabbed a new program record while claiming first place on the men's side, coming in with a new mark of 4:20.16. Melinda Zhang (54.45) and James Pinter (47.12) went on to pace the Black Knights in the 100 fly, each registering a third-place finish.

"This was a great meet for our program on both sides, we had different people step up and compete in every event and it was really fun to be a part of and watch' added Wes Tate following the meet. "We're looking forward to getting back in the pool and working on our race details heading into next semester and Patriots."

The 200 IM saw a similar result to the 200 breast, with Migault (2:00.14) leading the way to win the event while Gilmore tabbed second place. The men also went one-two in the 200 IM, with Alex Edwards (1:45.84) and Sam Wesley (1:46.45) gave Army a chance to get the win heading into the final event.

The Army men needed a dominant performance in the 400 free relay to secure a come-from-behind victory, with Vorthmann, Hadji, Harlow and Tate shattering the program and Patriot League record to win the event with a 2:53.57. However, the Mids were able to place 2nd-4th to collect enough points to reach the coveted 151 mark. On the women's side, Army placed second (3:21.84) via Williams, Wagner, Zhang and Webber.

"First off, this program and men's team continue to surprise me with how far we've come together" said Bruce Bannister Jr. "I've never been prouder to stand next to such a group of guys and coaching staff. The heart and soul each and everyone gives to the guy standing next to them is something I could've only hoped for in a college swim team. As for what we've just done, we swam in the fastest Army navy duel meet ever. We came in with our minds right, ready to go to war with each other. We gave a damn good fight, and didn't stop let up for a second until the last event. And we left with our heads held up. We lost a meet, but we do not feel defeated. that attitude will show tomorrow, it'll show everyday in practice, and it'll show in February."

Coach's Corner
"I couldn't more proud of the way the team competed and carried themselves this evening. They showed grit and resilience from start to finish and put up one of the best single night performances in program history.

Navy did an awesome job creating a very energetic and hostile environment. This meet can be tough to handle and be at your best given the atmosphere and intensity of the moment - it's something we've worked on and talked about over the years. Our team did a great job staying focused on ourselves and our mission and kept the external distractions external. They were professional in the way they carried themselves and showed class. This rivalry is intense and our team is often forced to deal with unsportsmanlike conduct from the other side, still they stayed dialed in and didn't let the nonsense get to them - and for that I'm very proud.

We had some incredible performances tonight - both on the boards and in the pool. There are too many highlights to mention them all here - but hats off to our entire Firstie class for what they've done for our program over the years and how well they competed tonight. They've continued to improve through their 4 years and many had lifetime best and set academy records tonight's. It was great to see Melinda Zhang and Bruce Bannister set their first individual academy records. And, Aurelie continued to chip away at her 200 Breast Record, breaking 2:10 for the first time. James Pinter had the meet of his career and swam great from start to finish!

Though the final scores weren't what we wanted we learned a lot from the experience and are ready to take those lessons back to practice this Sunday!" - head coach Brandt Nigro

Army Top Finishers
*1000 free: Molly Webber (9:58.91) - 1st
1000 free: Ian Tansill (9:02.00) - 1st
*200 free: Molly Webber (1:46.88) - 1st
*200 free: Wes Tate (1:35.14) - 1st
100 back: Layne Peterson (55.24) - 3rd
100 back: Alex Edwards (47.26) - 2nd
100 breast: Aurelie Migault (1:00.34) - 1st
*100 breast: Kohen Rankin (52.48) - 1st
*200 fly: Melinda Zhang (1:58.96) - 2nd
200 fly: Riley Groves (1:46.38) - 3rd
50 free: Meghan Cole (23.07) - 2nd
50 free: Owen Harlow (19.77) - 2nd
100 free: Clara Williams (50.19) - 3rd
100 free: Owen Harlow (43.80) - 1st
200 back: Layne Peterson (1:56.34) - 3rd
200 back: Alex Edwards (1:44.30) - 2nd
*200 breast: Aurelie Migault (2:09.92) - 1st
*200 breast: Bruce Bannister Jr. (1:54.73) - 2nd
500 free: Molly Webber (4:49.74) - 1st
*500 free: Wes Tate (4:20.16) - 1st
100 fly: Melinda Zhang (54.45) - 3rd
100 fly: James Pinter (47.12) - 3rd
200 IM: Aurelie Migault (2:00.14) - 1st
200 IM: Alex Edwards (1:45.84) - 1st
1M dive: Minh Donnell (241.80) - 1st
1M dive: Isaac Newman (289.73) - 4th
3M dive: Minh Donnell (263.10) - 1st
3M dive: Isaac Newman (294.68) - 3rd
W 200 medley: Layne Peterson, Aurelie Migault, Melinda Zhang, Meghan Cole (1:39.71) - 2nd
*M 200 medley: Alex Edwards, Kohen Rankin, James Pinter, Owen Harlow (1:27.34) - 2nd
*W 400 free relay: Clara Williams, Grace Wagner, Melinda Zhang, Molly Webber (3:21.84) - 2nd
*^M 400 free relay: Ben Vorthmann, Thomas Hadji, Owen Harlow, Wes Tate (2:53.57) - 1st

*indicates new program record
^indicates new Patriot League record