The Golden Rams’ men and women swimming and diving teams each lost their respective meets against the University of Pennsylvania in the last non-league home meet of the regular season in Graham Natatorium on Friday evening.
After coming off wins from an away meet at Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday, the Golden Rams evened out their scores taking a defeat from Penn.
The men’s team holds a 3-4 record and the women’s team is 5-2 to conclude their regular season.
The men won five events in a 175-120 loss to Penn. The meet against the Division I team served as the team’s final event before heading to the PSAC Championships in February.
Jared Haley took first place in the 500-yard freestyle and the 1000 free, while teammate Bogdan Grebenyuk set a school dual-meet record in the 100 breaststroke.
Haley, the only double-winner of the meet, finished the 1000 free with a time of 9:41.32, and the 500 free in 4:41.64.
Grebenyuk took second in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 57.52, and also earned the runner-up position in the 200 breaststroke. Both times set dual-meet records for West Chester.
David McCormick took first in the 200 individual medley, finishing in 1:57.86, while teammates Mike DiMarco and Evan DeaKyne trailed behind to finish second and third. DiMarko touched the wall at 2:09.08 while DeaKyne finished 2:10.27.
Tommy Rhodes took first in the 200 free, finishing in 1:43.61, and aided the 200 free relay team to first place with teammates Alex Muraro, Ryan Stahley and Phil Letcavage. The relay team finished at 1:26.21.
Ryan Kuser took to the diving boards in Hollinger Field House earning the runner-up slot in the 1-meter and the 3-meter springboard competition. He earned a 310.65 on the 1m board and scored 323.33 in the 3m competition.
Kuser saw higher scores against SCSU on Saturday, as he took the first place slot in the 1m, scoring 320.85.
On Saturday, Rhodes and Haley each earned double-wins against SCSU, leading West Chester to a 130-82 victory. Rhodes took first in the 200-yard freestyle and the 100 free, finishing at 1:43.96 and 48.77, respectively.
Haley took the 1000 free with a time of 9:59.28 and the 500 free in 4:45.99.
Calvin Starosta won the 200 backstroke and also led the 400 medley relay team to first.
Ryan Stahley earned top honors in the 50 free, assisted the 400 medley relay to victory, and placed second in the 100 free.
The swimmers will be back in action for the conference championships, which take place on Feb. 16. The divers face an invitational on Feb. 4 in Delaware.
The women’s team performed similarly, also earning first place slots in five events, but ultimately succumbed to Penn with a final score of 163-134.
West Chester’s women’s team honored the two seniors, Leah Varvo and Christie Stern, prior to their final regular season meet.
Varvo finished first in the 100 butterfly with a time of 59.33, while Stern assisted the 200 free relay team to top honors. Megan Winslow, Codyanne Murtaugh and Mia Barone also composed the relay team. Winslow led the relay in the 50-free and earned one of her best times of her career.
Amelia Buckley won two races, claiming first in the 200-yard breaststroke and the 200 individual medley.
The team claimed the top three places in the 200 IM. Buckley finished first while teammates Mackey McGeary and Dani Dougherty trailed behind for second and third. McGeary finished with a time of 2:17.16 and Dougherty at 2:18.58.
Buckley also finished first in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:26.40.
Michelle Murphy represented West Chester for the diving team and claimed first in the 3-meter springboard competition earning 284.85 points.
Maggie Meade won the 1m event, scoring a 277.35, while Murphy took the runner-up slot in the 1m event, posting a 256.20.
On Saturday, the Golden Rams captured seven events to defeat SCSU with a score of 131-96. Varvo and Winslow each took an individual and a relay win to assist in the Rams to victory.
Varvo won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:00.28, while Winslow took the 200 backstroke in 2:10.71. Both swimmers made up the 400 medley relay, which finished in 4:05.29.
Megan Corcoran finished the 50 free in 25.75, followed by teammates Stern at second and Lauren Carastro in third.
Kelsey Tennett won the 1-meter diving competition with a score of 273.89, and took second in the 3m springboard competition scoring 269.99. Murphy finished third while Michelle Heinman was fourth.
Both teams will return to action for the conference championships on Feb. 16 and the divers will take the stage at the Delaware Invitational on Feb. 4.
Brynn Dougherty is a fourth-year student majoring in economics and finance with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at BD670913@wcupa.edu.