Swim Team Has Strong Showing at MU Invite
HUNTINGTON, WV- The Converse College Swimming team traveled to face Division I Marshall University this past weekend. They defeated the Herd in swimming by a score of 219-203, but would lose overall (with diving) by a score of 219-237. Division III Ursuline College was also at the meet and the Valkyries would defeat them 219 - 40.
Converse's 200 medley relay of Jess Mason (Greenville, SC), Jenni Russell (Rock Hill, SC), Jana Gentry (Spartanburg, SC) and Rhiannon Gluhosky would take second to the Herd with a time of 1:56.37
Gluhosky would swim the very next event taking second in the 400IM where she was out touched by .07 by Marshall's Hayley Gregory. Teammates Russell and Christl Bradley (Victoria, CAN) took fourth and fifth, respectively.
Freshman Meghan Calvaruso (Louisville, KY) captured the first win of the meet in the 100 backstroke in a time of 1:01.68 with teammates Mason and Ashley Johnson (Florence, SC) taking third and fifth.
Russell and senior Kate Mattil (Hoover, AL) took third and fourth in the 100 breast, with Russell just off her season best in 1:11.28.
Jesse Pope (Kennesaw, GA) was the next swimmer to come in big, winning the 50 free in the last 15 yards to out touch Marshall’s Lauren Tarka, while new comer Danielle Alcorn (Rock Hill, SC) took fourth in her first collegiate race.
The Valkyries placed three in the 200 backstroke and 200 breaststroke with Calvaruso taking second in the back and Russell second in the breast.
Mason would come back in the last 20 yards of the 100 freestyle to grab second out touching Marshall’s third place Hillbert by .25. While teammates Calvaruso, Pope, and Skye Reeder (Hilton Head, SC) would touch the wall getting four, five, six.
Gentry lead the way in the 200 fly nearly going an in season best when she touched the wall at 2:15.94 with Bradley just behind her.
The Valkyries showed their strength in the distance event of the meet as Gluhosky, Ashley Johnson, and Reeder went 1,2,3 in the 500 freestyle.
Not finished yet, Converse would finish the meet with the closest race of the day as the relay of Gluhosky, Calvaruso, Pope, and Mason out touched Marshall by .05 in the 200 freestyle relay taking first.
Converse will take a week and a half rest before traveling to the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center in Charlotte, NC to begin the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships on February 15th through the 18th.
