LANCASTER, Pa. – Sophomore Peyten Lyons had a hand in three gold medals and another Centennial Conference record on Friday night as the Ursinus College women's swimming team took its first step toward a fourth consecutive championship on the first day of the conference meet.
The Bears dominated both relays, picked up six medals over the night's five events, and registered a pair of NCAA B cuts to take a big lead into Saturday's slate. Ursinus collected 229 points, with Swarthmore in second (151) and Gettysburg (144) in third.
Sophomore Clara Baker, junior Sydney Gundersen, freshman Grace Emig, and Lyons dominated the 200 free relay final, separating themselves from second-place Washington College by more than a second and a half and posting a mark of 1:36.76 that was just three-quarters of a tick off the conference record, of which Gundersen, Baker, and Lyons were all a part.
Junior Katherine Porter, junior Meggie Leitz, senior Marisa Ferrari, and senior Alexandra Hemp won the B final in 1:39.15, good for the sixth-fastest clocking overall.
Freshman Haley Sturla captured the bronze medal in the 500 free, placing third with a mark of 5:08.77. Her time was a personal record by nearly seven seconds and stands fourth all-time at Ursinus. Sturla edged Swarthmore's Clare Cushing by less than a tenth of a second to claim a spot on the podium. Sophomore Caroline Powell (12th) and freshman Margrethe Leis (14th) earned points in the B final; seeded 23rd, Powell bettered her seed time by almost 12 full seconds with a 5:16.00 that would have placed her sixth in the A final.
Lyons was spectacular in the 200 IM, breaking her own conference record by more than a half-second and coasting to her second straight gold medal in the event. Her clocking of 2:05.94 was an NCAA B cut and almost four seconds clear of Washington College's Jenni Clune. Sophomore Katherine Madden joined Lyons on the podium with a career-best 2:10.66 that garnered her the bronze medal.
Gundersen finished third in the 50 free at last year's meet and moved up to silver this time around with a season-best 24.34. Baker (24.81) finished just off the podium in fourth, and Emig (24.89) took seventh after a personal-best 24.73 in prelims. Hemp, who lost in a swim-off for the final A final spot, won the B final with a collegiate-best 24.61 that was the fourth-best mark of the night.
Baker, Gundersen, and Lyons teamed up with junior Olivia Tierney to grab gold in the 400 medley relay, the final event of the night. Their NCAA B-cut time of 3:50.97 was only .67 seconds off the CC record set by Lyons, Tierney, Baker, and Corinne Capodanno last season, and the Bears' quartet was nearly six full seconds clear of runner-up Gettysburg. The B team of Madden, Sturla, Porter, and Leitz won the B final (ninth place) in 3:57.94, which was the fourth-best performance of the evening.
