Swimming & Diving

Rider Men and Fairfield Women Lead the Pack Following the Opening Night of Action at the 2024 MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships

Geneva, OH (Feb. 14, 2024) – The 2024 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships kicked off tonight at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio with a pair of relays and the women’s 1-meter dive. At the conclusion of day one’s action, Rider University owns the top spot for the men and Fairfield University sits atop of the women’s leaderboard.  
 
Fairfield women’s team kicked off the meet in dramatic fashion, setting the MAAC 200 Medley Relay record, with a finishing time of 1:41.70, breaking Rider’s previous record of 1:41.79 from 2020. Fairfield’s gold medalist’s quartet featured Erini Pappas, Tone Sandsjoe, Maggie O'Donnell, and Nora Segurola Larrinaga. On the men's side, Rider collected gold in the 200 Medley Relay, crossing the finish line with a time of 1:29.04. The Broncs relay team consisted of Lucas Racevicius, Billy Ruddy, Nicky Lane, and Bobby Irwin.
 
In the lone diving event of the opening session, Fairfield’s duo of Alexis Gaulin and Lillian Tonole, took two out of the top-3 spots, with Gaulin earning the individual championship and Tonole taking home the bronze medal, to help contribute to the Stags’ leading score.
 
In the second to last race of the night, the Niagara’s Women 800 Free Relay team of Paige South, Claire Gorton, Megan Jackson, and Mary Carl won gold. The Purple Eagles claimed first-place in a time of 7:29.57. The last race of the night – the Men 800 Free Relay -- featured a photo-finish ending, as Marist edged Fairfield by 0.18 deciseconds, to lock up the gold medal. The Red Foxes winning unit included Ethan McCormac, Oscar Bjering, Chris Dauser, and Adam Zaremba.
 
Team Standings
Men Women
1 Rider 66 1 Fairfield 127
2 Marist 64 2 Marist 98
3 Niagara 62 3 Rider 81
T4 Fairfield 60 T4 Niagara 72
T4 Iona 60 T4 Siena 72
6 Canisius 58 6 Canisius 62
7 Mount St. Mary’s 56 7 Mount St. Mary’s 58
8 Saint Peter’s 46 8 Iona 56
9 Manhattan 36 9 Manhattan 36
10 Saint Peter’s 14
 
Day 1 Event Results
Event Name Institution Time/Score
Women's 200 Medley Relay Erini Pappas, Tone Sandsjoe, Maggie O'Donnell, Nora Segurola Larrinaga Fairfield 1:41.70*
Men's 200 Medley Relay Lucas Racevicius, Billy Ruddy, Nicky Lane, Bobby Irwin Rider 1:29.04
Women's 1-Meter Dive Alexis Gaulin Fairfield 273.80
Women's 800 Freestyle Relay Paige South, Claire Gorton, Megan Jackson, Mary Carl Niagara 7:29.57
Men's 800 Freestyle Relay Ethan McCormac, Oscar Bjering, Chris Dauser, Adam Zaremba Marist 6:33.81
MAAC Record*
 
The 2024 MAAC Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving Championships resume tomorrow, Thursday, February 15 at 10 a.m. All action throughout the entire championship will be streamed live via ESPN+.
 
For all information regarding the 2024 MAAC Men's & Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships, please visit http://maacsports.com/swim.
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 43rd year of competition during the 2023-24 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College. Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University will join the MAAC as full members in the 2024-25 academic year, expanding the conference to 13 institutions.
 
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