You could not have asked for the PSAC Tournament to have gone better for both men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams.
Both teams competed in the PSAC Championships, and both teams dominated, bringing back the gold for West Chester University.
For the men’s team, it was their 16th straight PSAC Championship win, and their 27th overall in West Chester’s history. To add to those accolades, the men’s team set a new school record with 1,036 points scored at the championship.
Victor Polyakov, one of the stars for West Chester’s swim team, was named the PSAC Male Swimmer of the Meet. Polyakov had an outstanding showing, setting a PSAC mark in the 200-yard freestyle on the first day there. This was also the eighth straight year that a West Chester swimmer took home the PSAC Male Swimmer of the Meet.
Other notable names from the competition include Bradley Strathmeyer and Bogdan Grebenyuk. Strathmeyer, who was last year’s Male Swimmer of the Meet, came in first in the 1650 free with a time of 15 minutes and 36.29 seconds. Grebenyuk came in first in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:02.22. Grebenyuk’s time in the event was a meet record.
West Chester’s 1,036 points scored were not even close to being matched by any other school. The next closest was West Chester’s rival Bloomsburg, who had 581.5 points scored overall. In third place was Indiana, Pa., with 475 points.
Over on the women’s side, head coach Jamie Rudisill brought her team their eighth straight PSAC Championship, and the women’s 12th overall in the school’s history.
Kitty Fischer was named the PSAC Female Swimmer of the Meet. Fischer set a national record in the 200 Individual Medley on the first day of the tournament, setting the pace for West Chester’s triumphant win. It was also the second straight year for the women’s team in securing a PSAC Female Swimmer of the Meet title.
Lauren Carastro won the 1650-yard freestyle for West Chester. What is even more impressive is that six of the eight swimmers that placed in this event were from WCU.
Just like the men’s team, the women’s swimming team proved to be too much for the other schools at the competition. West Chester’s 893 points were trailed by Indiana, Pa. in second place with 490 points. Third place belonged to Edinboro, with 365 points.
Both teams will now go on to train for the NCAA Division II Championships next month in Ohio. If both the men’s and women’s teams swim like they did at the PSAC Championship, West Chester looks likely to bring home the gold again.
Oliver Suskin-Santarelli is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at OS753461@wcupa.edu.