Swimming & Diving Places Second at Patriot League Championships Behind 15 Gold Medals

Swimming & Diving Places Second at Patriot League Championships Behind 15 Gold Medals

February 25, 2024 | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving

ANNAPOLIS, MD - Army West Point swimming & diving collected a pair of second-place finishes at the 2024 Patriot League Championships which concluded on Saturday from Lejeune Hall. The Black Knights set 14 program records and two league records to go along with 15 gold medals across the four-day championship.

FULL RESULTS | INDIVIDUAL POINTS | DAYS 1-2 RECAP

Navy claimed the men's title with 1639.5 points while Army recorded 1589, as the Army women finished with 1199 points compared to 1397 for the Mids.

Molly Webber was named women's swimmer of the meet after collecting three individual golds and two in the relays. She was also the highest point scorer on the women's side with 96 points. Wes Tate also picked up 96 points through three individual wins to earn men's highest scorer.

Army entered Friday in second place in both competitions, looking to making a weekend surge. Army continued to find itself on the podium to start in the 100 fly, with Meghan Cole (53.87) and James Pinter (46.70) each tabbing a third-place finish for 27 team points. Catriona Gilmore then set a new Academy record in the 400 IM, placing second for the Black Knights with her mark of 4:17.44. Kalvin Hahn followed up Gilmore's performance with a dominant effort to win the event by over two seconds. Hahn's mark of 3:46.19 also set a new program record.

Molly Webber continued her standout performance at the meet in the 200 free, claiming another title with a 1:47.28 mark while Wes Tate's B-cut time of 1:35.20 gave Army a sweep of the gold medals in the event. Moving into the 100 breast, Aurelie Migault kept pace with Webber in collecting gold medals, with a B-cut time of 1:01.21 for her second title of the meet. The golds began to pile up for Army on Friday, as Kohen Rankin then posted a 52.88 in the 100 breast for a first-place finish while breaking his own Academy record. The 100 back saw Layne Peterson (55.50) and Alex Edwards (47.93) pace Army while landing in fifth-place.

Friday's diving event saw Minh Donnell land on the podium in the 1M, boasting a score of 270.00 while Abigail Gibbs tabbed fourth with 257.20. After the quarter of Clara Williams, Meghan Cole, Rea Smith and Webber took second-place in the 200 free relay behind a time of 1:31.46, the Army men had an all-time performance in the event to close out Friday's events. It started with Ben Vorthmann as Owen Harlow, Kohen Rankin and anchor Thomas Hadji defeated Navy by just two-hundredths of a second as their time of 1:18.19 set a new program, pool and Patriot League record.

Saturday's finals began with the 1650 free as Army showed its prowess in the distance event. Webber left no doubt with a time of 16:44.67 to comfortably win the event by over six seconds. On the men's side Army put three on the podium with three B-cut times. Wes Tate won the event with a 15:01.53 while Brice Barrieault (15:09.97) and Ian Tansill (15:12.60) garnered second and third place. Moving to the 200 back, Peterson was once again the top time for the Black Knights, taking home fifth (1:57.76) while Sam Wesley had a B-cut time of 1:44.13 to take fourth-place on the men's side.

Clara Williams came in with a 50.19 in the 100 free for a silver medal as Army continued to compile points on the final day. Hadji led the men in the event, tabbing fifth with a mark of 43.88. With the 200 breast next, Army found four on the podium across both A finals. Migault would not be denied another gold with a B-cut time of 2:11.20 to take the event by 2.87 seconds while Gilmore joined her on the podium with a third-place finish (2:14.59). On the men's side, Kohen Rankin came in with a blazing time of 1:54.22 to set a new Patriot League and Academy record. Kalvin Hahn gave Army a one-two finish, taking second with a B-cut time of 1:55.89.

Melinda Zhang led the Black Knights in the 200 fly (1:59.74) with a sub-two minute mark which led to a fourth-place finish as plebe Riley Groves got on the podium with a bronze medal on the men's side, coming in with a B-cut mark of 1:45.25. Isaac Newman (360.90) had the top mark for Army in the 3M diving final, as David Manelis (319.65, 6th) and Adam Elahamdi (314.90, 7th) also had strong performances after making the A final. Capping off a memorable weekend for the Army women - Williams, Cole, Migault and Webber put their names into the record books once again with a new program record and gold medal time of 3:19.37 in the 400 free relay. The men also had a strong second-place showing through Vortmann, Harlow, Tate and Hadji - posting a time of 2:53.68 which was a meet record for the Black Knights.

"I could not be more proud of the way our team fought and competed this week. They showed grit and tenacity and never gave up. Championship meets are roller coasters in so many ways and I think our team did a great job managing their body, minds, and emotions. Overall it was our best full team patriot league performance during my 5 seasons. I haven't had a chance to count the broken records, best times, or exciting moments, but I know there were a lot. We'll certainly miss our firsties who are ending their army swimming & diving careers today. They've left a huge mark on our program and they will be missed. Congrats to both the Navy Men & Women's Swim & Dive teams on 2 more team titles. They fought hard and helped to bring out the best in us. The Patriot League continues to improved each season and it's fun to be a part of!" - head coach Brandt Nigro

"This meet was the culmination of a long season full of hard work and grit. I am incredibly proud of the Army team this weekend, and I am grateful to be able to compete alongside them." - Molly Webber

"I'm super proud of all the men. It was a long hard fight. Even though we did not achieve the desired outcome, we brought the heat each and every day. Super proud of how far this team has come and am super excited for where we will go in the future. Thank you to the seniors for leading us through the season. As for the rest of the team, just adding fuel to the fire." - Kohen Rankin

"The 2024 Patriot League Championships marked an unforgettable event with remarkable growth in individual performances and heightened competitiveness among all teams. Our women's team showcased exceptional progress, significantly narrowing the score gap with Navy, something unseen the past several years. Despite setbacks, injuries, and high pressure, our dive team put up a great fight, while our swim and dive firsties gave it their all for the last time in a patriot league pool. Our continued passion and grit this season clearly shows, as we are nowhere near finished.
We know that eventually down the line, we will soon rewrite history." -Minh Donnell

2024 Patriot League Swimming and Diving Major Awards
Women's Swimmer of the Meet: Molly Webber, Army West Point
Men's Swimmer of the Meet: Jonah Harm, Navy
Women's Rookie of the Meet: Ela Habjan, Navy
Men's Rookie of the Meet: Ben Irwin, Navy
Women's Diver of the Meet: Sumi Cameron, Boston University
Men's Diver of the Meet: Finn Gelbach, Navy
Women's Highest Point Scorer: Molly Webber, Army West Point
Men's Highest Point Scorer: Wes Tate, Army/Jonah Harm, Navy/Ben Irwin, Navy
Women's Swim Coach of the Year: John Morrison, Navy
Men's Swim Coach of the Year: Brian Loeffler, Loyola Maryland
Women's Diving Coach of the Year: Brad Snodgrass, Boston University
Joe Suriano Men's Diving Coach of the Year: Tim Fisher, Navy

Women - Team Rankings
1. Navy (1,397)
2. Army (1,199)
3. Boston (946)
4. Bucknell (863)
5. Lehigh (850.5)
6. Loyola (812.5)
7. Colgate (573)
8. American (537)
9. Holy Cross (365)
10. Lafayette (217)

Men - Team Rankings
1. Navy (1,639.5)
2. Army (1,598)
3. Loyola (1,099)
4. Bucknell (1,043.5)
5. Boston U. (600)
6. Lehigh (448.5)
7. Lafayette (393)
8. Holy Cross (390)
9. Colgate (339)
10. American (260.5)

ARMY TOP FINISHERS
200 medley relay: Layne Peterson, Aurelie Migault, Melinda Zhang, Meghan Cole (1:40.21) - 2nd
^200 medley relay: Alex Edwards, Kohen Rankin, James Pinter, Owen Harlow (1:25.46) - 2nd
^200 free relay: Clara Williams, Meghan Cole, Rea Smith, Molly Webber (1:31.46) - 2nd
^200 free relay: Ben Vorthmann, Owen Harlow, Kohen Rankin, Thomas Hadji (1:18.19) - 1st
^400 medley relay: Layne Peterson, Aurelie Migault, Melinda Zhang, Molly Webber (3:37.47) - 2nd
^400 medley relay: Joey Kling, Kohen Rankin, Riley Groves, Ben Vorthmann (3:09.79) - 3rd
^400 free relay: Clara Williams, Meghan Cole, Aurelie Migault, Molly Webber (3:19.37) - 1st
400 free relay: Ben Vorthmann, Owen Harlow, Wes Tate, Thomas Hadji (2:53.68) - 2nd
^800 free relay: Clara Williams, Aurelie Migault, Melinda Zhang, Molly Webber (7:10.60) - 1st
800 free relay: Alex Edwards, Thomas Hadji, Wes Tate, Ian Tansill (6:24.18) - 2nd
^500 free: Molly Webber (4:46.38) - 1st
^500 free: Wes Tate (4:17.79) - 1st
200 IM: Aurelie Migault (1:59.65) - 3rd
200 IM: Joey Kling (1:45.70) - 1st
50 free: Meghan Cole (23.01) - 3rd
50 free: Owen Harlow (19.77) - 3rd
100 fly: Meghan Cole (53.87) - 3rd
^100 fly: James Pinter (46.70) - 3rd
^400 IM: Catriona Gilmore (4:17.44) - 2nd
^400 IM: Kalvin Hahn (3:46.19) - 1st
200 free: Molly Webber (1:47.28) - 1st
200 free: Wes Tate (1:35.20) - 1st
100 breast: Aurelie Migault (1:01.21) - 1st
^100 breast: Kohen Rankin (52.28) - 1st
100 back: Layne Peterson (55.50) - 5th
100 back: Alex Edwards (47.93) - 5th
1650 free: Molly Webber (16:44.67) - 1st
1650 free: Wes Tate (15:01.53) - 1st
200 back: Layne Peterson (1:57.76) - 5th
200 back: Sam Wesley (1:44.13) - 4th
100 free: Clara Williams (50.19) - 2nd
100 free: Thomas Hadji (43.88) - 5th
200 breast: Aurelie Migault (2:11.20) - 1st
#^200 breast: Kohen Rankin (1:54.22) - 1st
200 fly: Melinda Zhang (1:59.74) - 4th
200 fly: Riley Groves (1:45.25) - 3rd
W 3M dive: Ava Ramirez (274.25) - 4th
M 3M dive: Isaac Newman (360.90) - 4th
W 1M dive: Minh Donnell (270.00) - 3rd
M 1M dive: Isaac Newman (349.10) - 3rd

^indicates program record
#indicates league record
$indicates pool record