COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Much of the Ursinus College women's swimming team's season has felt like an appetizer. The main course is upon the Bears, and they can't wait to dive in.
Ursinus eyes a fifth consecutive title as it prepares to take on the Centennial Conference Championships, which begins Thursday night and runs through Sunday at Franklin & Marshall. The Bears are looking to become just the second program to accomplish a conference five-peat, and the first since Gettysburg won seven in a row from 1994-2000. With a bevy of nationally ranked stars, everything is in place for another run to the top of the heap.
Previewing the four-day championship, which gets underway Thursday:
Thursday
The CC added a Thursday night session for the first time in its history, putting a pair of relay races in the opening spotlight. The teams will contest the 200 medley and 800 free relays starting at 7 p.m., giving the Bears a chance to get off to a fast start.
Ursinus has dominated the relays in recent years, and this one looks no different. The Bears are the heavy favorites in both races, and their B squads are even seeded third for both heats. Ursinus has captured gold in five straight 800 free relays, including a championship record in 2016, and took first place in the each of the last two 200 medley relays.
Friday
The second day gets going with prelims in the 500 free, 200 IM, and 50 free. Sophomore Haley Sturla opens the morning as the sixth seed in the 500 free, where junior Kathryn Longenecker (7th) and freshman Allison Thomas (8th) are also among the projected top-8. Sturla, the reigning bronze medalist, and her teammates will tussle with Swarthmore's Hannah Kloetzer, Washington's Julia Portmann, Swarthmore's Clare Cushing, and F&M's Kathy Hirsch and Grace Pereles.
Ursinus boasts five of the top ten seeds in the 200 IM, led by senior Sydney Gundersen in fourth. Freshman Katelyn Moore is sixth, followed closely by juniors Katherine Madden (7th), Caroline Powell (8th), and Peyten Lyons (10th). Lyons is the two-time defending champion and is looking to become the first swimmer to win three straight golds in the event since 2003. Madden was fourth in the 200 IM a year ago.
Freshman Sophie May and Gundersen are top contenders in the 50 free. May is seeded second behind Gettysburg's Kate Crilly, while Gundersen – last year's runner-up – is third. Junior Clara Baker, who took fourth last season, is seeded sixth. Ursinus has never produced a champion in this event.
The Bears will go for their fourth straight gold in the 200 free relay during the night session, which also includes the finals of the three individual races.
Saturday
Senior Olivia Tierney has likely had this day circled on the calendar since last year, when she lost out on gold in the 400 IM by one hundredth of a second to Swarthmore's Emily Bley. Tierney is the top seed this time around, and her seed time is nearly 2.50 seconds ahead of the next closest entrant. Powell (5th), junior Gabriella Timuscuk (7th), Moore (8th), Madden (9th), and Thomas (10th) are all among the top 10 seeds in an event that the Bears have never won.
Baker is the championship record-holder and two-time defending titlist in the 100 fly, where she joins seniors Meggie Leitz and Katherine Porter as the top three seeds in an event where Ursinus looks destined to sweep the medals. Baker can become the third three-time 100 fly champion in CC history with another victory.
Gundersen is the favorite in the 200 free, where she looks to become the fifth Ursinus gold medalist in the past six years following a runner-up performance last season. Her top competition should come from May, seeded second, and Crilly. Thomas is the ninth seed.
The Bears have never won gold in the 100 breast, but Tierney hopes to change that. Finishing sixth a year ago, Tierney is seeded third at this meet, behind only Clune and Swarthmore's Maggie Eberts. Sturla, seeded ninth, could also qualify for the A final.
Lyons is the meet record-holder and back-to-back champion in the 100 back, where she retains top billing with a seed time more than two seconds clear of Gettysburg's Savannah Llewellyn. Leitz (5th), May (7th), and freshman Katherine Kurzinsky (8th) could give Ursinus four entrants in the A final.
Saturday's night session will also include the 400 medley relays, where the Bears have the top two seed times and figure to capture a third consecutive gold.
Sunday
The championship concludes with six races on Sunday. Lyons opens with the 200 back, where she won gold in 2016 and finished runner-up to Dickinson's Katie Schmidt a year ago. Lyons is the top seed this time, with Schmidt back in 10th. May is seeded second, though her time is close to four seconds back of Lyons'.
Gundersen broke through with a 100 free gold at last year's meet and looks to defend her crown against top-seeded Crilly and Washington's Katie Gorman. Kurzinsky (5th) and Thomas (7th) are also projected to make the final eight.
Tierney is a two-time champion in the 200 breast, which was won last season by Swarthmore's Liz Staton, the ninth seed. Tierney is the favorite, while Sturla is pegged fifth. Tierney can become just the second three-time champion in CC history, and the first since 1997.
Leitz, who finished third at the NCAA Championships in the 200 fly a year ago, looks to make it three straight gold medals. Baker is seeded second, while Porter is fourth and Timuscuk seventh.
Warren is the Bears' best hope in the 1650 free, where she is seeded fourth. Longenecker is tabbed ninth.
Ursinus will cap the meet in search of a sixth straight 400 free relay gold. Gundersen was part of the unit that set a conference record at the championship meet in 2015. The Bears own the top two seeds in this relay as well.
The Schedule
Thursday's session gets underway at 7 p.m. All weekend sessions are 10 a.m. (prelims) and 6 p.m. (finals).
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