Both the men and women swim teams made a splash in their last home meet Friday. The men faced off against Georgetown while the woman competed against Georgetown and George Mason. Several swimmers came in first, while senior Meghan Theil earned the swimming equivalent of a hat trick.
On the men's side, the upperclassmen led the team. Senior Joe Coronato gained victories in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter freestyle, while fellow seniors Dan Nagelberg and Jeremy Koss took second in the 500-meter freestyle and 1-meter diving competition respectively.
As the upperclassmen were leaving their mark on the Robert H. Frailey Pool, the underclassmen proved they have what it takes to carry on the team in the years to come. Sophomore Matt Pelletier won the 100-meter backstroke, while fellow classmate Eric Sveum took second in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle. Junior Michael O'Brien also proved strong, gaining hold of first in the 1-meter dive.
The women's team proved strong as well, coming through with six finishing times that were strong enough to break AU's all-time top 10 list, a compilation of AU's fastest swimming times. Senior Meghan Thiel earned three of the all-time top 10 list spots herself (10th, seventh and third) and went on to gain first place in the 200-, 500- and 1000-meter freestyle races.
Freshmen Dorothy Isaacs and Eleanor Clay also got their names in the record books. Isaacs won the 50-meter freestyle and placed second in the 100-meter freestyle, while Clay won both the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke, her time for the 200 being the eighth fastest in AU history.
Also leaving their marks were senior swimmers Alison Katsigiannis, who placed fourth in the 100-meter breaststroke, and Melinda Gilbert. Gilbert gained sixth in the 200-medley relay team with fellow teammates Katsigiannis, freshman Morgan Haycock and sophomore Adela Smith.
Both teams will be back in action in the George Mason pool Saturday to swim against George Mason, Army and Old Dominion.
