February 16, 2007 - Broncs at ECAC's - Day One

February 16, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Swimming & Diving
Rider at ECAC’s
Bronc Women 3rd / Men 6th after Day One

Cambridge, MA--The Rider men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are competing at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships, hosted by Harvard University with the women’s team in third out of 16 teams and the men in sixth out of 18 teams after day one.  “It is one weekend after the conference championships and that was our focus but we came out and performed well today,” said head coach Steve Fletcher.

For the men’s team, junior diver Dylan Korn (Hawthorne, N.Y./Westlake) was second in the three-meter (287.50), sophomore Josh Rosenbluth (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) finished third in the 200 IM (1:54.10), graduate student Chris Coles (Plainsboro, N.J./West Windsor Plainsboro North) was third in the three-meter dive (279.45) and senior Andy French (Richfield, Minn./Richfield Senior) placing fourth in the 500 free (4:38.59).

“It’s difficult to be sharp after the energy expended at the MAAC’s,” Fletcher added.  “But I think that we responded well and considering how worn out we were a few days ago, we bounced back and had some good efforts.”

For the women’s team sophomore Priscilla Modrov (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge) placed second in the 200 IM (2:09.21), sophomore Amanda Burke (Churchville, Pa./William Tennett) was second (253.41) in the one-meter, freshman Kellyanne Tomasulla (Sussex, N.J./Vernon Township) was third in the 50 free (24.48), senior Lauren Urbanski (Lansdowne, Pa./Upper Darby) finished fourth in the 200 IM (210.63), junior Stephanie Cosentino (Staten Island, N.Y./Notre Dame Academy) finished sixth in the 50 free (24.79) and senior diver Shannen Kahler (Ojai, Calif./Chaparral/Grossmont CC) placed sixth in the one-meter (210.90).

The women’s 200 free relay of Modrov, Urbanski, Cosentino and Tomasulla won with a Rider record time of 1:37.71 with the 400 medley relay of Tomasulla, Urbanski, Modrov and Cosentino finishing second with a Rider record time of 3:55.54.  The women’s relay win is the first ever gold in an ECAC women’s relay event for Rider.  Tomasulla in the 400 medley relay led off with the 100 backstroke leg and set a Rider record with a time of 57.10.

The men’s 400 medley relay of Rosenbluth, senior Brandon Modrov (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge), freshman Scott Player (Chino Hills, Calif./Ruben S. Ayala) and junior Matt Bauer (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) placed second (3:26.82) with the 200 free relay of Modrov, junior Peter Starr (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown Area Senior), Player and freshman Brian Brady (Turnersville, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) finishing 11th with a time of 1:26.38.  Bauer was 16th in the 200 IM (2:00.03), Brady was 21st in the 500 free (4:51.50), Player was 23rd in the 50 free (21.84), Modrov finished 29th in the 200 IM (2:02.72) and Starr was 30th in the 50 free (22.02).

Also for the women’s team, freshman Lovette Leonhard (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) placed 10th in the 500 free (5:12.11) senior Ryan Mitten (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) was 13th in the 200 IM (2:15.77) and senior Courtney Clark (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) finished 23rd in the 500 free (5:22.00).

Also for the men’s team, sophomore Drew Palmieri (Hanover, Mass./Boston Coll. HS/Mercersburg Acad.) was 27th in the 200 IM (2:01.55) and sophomore Brian Mejia (Long Branch, N.J./Long Branch) was 40th in the 50 free (22.28).

Competition continues through Sunday.

-RU-