Navy Sweeps Army, Including Four-Point Thriller in Women’s Meet
The United States Naval Academy swept a weekend Star Series dual meet with the United States Military Academy, Navy eking out a four-point win on the women’s side.
The meet in Annapolis is a reversal of last year, when Army claimed its first sweep of the service-academy series since 1988. The Black Knights women’s team snapped a 35-year winning streak for the Midshipwomen in that one. But normal service was restored at Navy’s Lejeune Hall, by however narrow a margin.
The Navy men’s team remained unbeaten at 8-0 with a 206-94 win. The 152-148 decision by the Navy women, however, was the more thrilling race, with Navy prevailing despite winning only two swimming events.
Army had the advantage in top-end talent, with seven events that Army won but Navy countered with a 2-3-4 to mitigate the overall points damage. One such event was the 200 individual medley, where Catriona Gilmore’s win in 2:01.10 was countered by a crowd from Navy late in the meet. That allowed Navy to go 1-3 in the 400 freestyle relay, the winning team of Erin Miller, Allie Maloney, Ana Fleming and Kaitlyn Landers touching in 3:22.00 to edge Army’s A squad by .81 seconds.
Army won each of the first nine swimming events. Not until Lauren Walsh’s time of 2:12.04 pulled out a dual with Gilmore by .26 seconds in the 200 breaststroke did a Navy swimmer get her hand to the wall first. The second win came in the concluding relay, but that was enough to see them over the line.
Walsh was second in the 100 breast and 200 IM. Sarah Eldridge was second in the 1,000 free and 500 free. Maloney finished second in the 200 butterfly and 200 backstroke.
Diving was pivotal for the Midshipwomen. MacKenzie Kim scored 274.95 to win 3-meter in a 1-2-3 result. Kim led 1-meter diving with a score of 279.30, a 1-2-4 finish for Navy.
Army mounted its late charge with a 1-2 result in the 100 fly. Sydney Braeger went 54.60 to win, teammate Cora Webber second in 55.35.
The Black Knights monopolized the top step of the podium. Molly Webber started the meet by winning the 1,000 free in 9:50.35 and the 200 free in 1:47.14 in consecutive events. With a little rest, she eased to victory in the 500 in 4:48.74.
Angie McKane joined her in a three-win sweep, going 52.85 in the 100 backstroke, 22.75 in the 50 free and 49.13 in the 100 free. Gilmore won the 100 breast in 1:00.42. Braeger’s time of 1:59.36 claimed the 200 fly. Layne Peterson’s 1:57.80 prevailed in the 200 back. The 200 medley relay of McKane, Gilmore, Braeger and Tiana Mescher won by more than a second and a half in 1:38.48.
Navy’s men’s team took control from the get-go. Ben Mauldin won the 1,000 free in 8:56.56 in a 1-2 Navy finish. Xavier Sohovich led a 1-2-3 sweep in the 200 free in 1:33.77.
The meet was put to bed before the first diving break, Dean Jones (1:42.92) leading a 1-2-3 in the 200 fly and Lachlan Andrew edging Ben Denman-Grimm by .01 in 19.47 as a 1-2-3 in the 50 free. Denman-Grimm’s 42.95 claimed the 100 free.
Sohovich was second and Mauldin third in the 500 free behind Jones’s time of 4:19.53. Ben Irwin bounced back from finishing second in the 100 back, then won the 200 back in 1:39.93 and the 100 fly in 46.93. Second in the 200 back was Martin Perecinsky, who also was second in the 200 free. Michael Phillips won the 200 breast in 1:52.43, .12 over teammate Juan Mora. Stephan Aguirre won the 200 IM.
Navy also controlled diving. Anthony Sciulli scored 302.40 to win 1-meter over Army’s Lucas Mowry. Navy’s Luke Ogren keyed a 1-2-3 sweep in 3-meter, his score of 325.13 less than two points up on Finnian Gelbach with Sciulli third.
Army did win both relays. Johnny Crush, Kohen Rankin, Daniel Verdolaga and Ben Vorthmann went 1:22.95 in the 200 medley. Vorthmann, Thomas Hadji, Rankin and Crush won the 400 free relay by .27 seconds in 2:50.18. In between, Crush went 44.72 to claim the 100 back. Rankin’s 50.76 prevailed in the 100 breast.
