BUFFALO, N.Y. – Matea Samardzic (Split, Croati/Ekonomsko-Birotehnicka Skola) was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Most Outstanding Female Swimmer of the Meet at the MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships on Saturday.
Samardzic, who became the first-ever Peacocks women's swimmer to earn the Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet honor last season as a freshman, garnered the honor for the second-straight year after winning three individual events in 2015. The sophomore started the championships by winning the 500 free on Thursday and then concluded the four-day competition by repeating as MAAC champion in the 100 back on Friday and defending her conference title in the 200 back on Saturday with an NCAA "B" cut time of 1:57.43.
Just like Samardzic, sophomore Marie Feneron (Molsheim, France/Lycee Henri Meck) won three individual events in the four-day championships. Feneron swept the IM races in the first two days after winning the 200 IM on Thursday and the 400 IM on Friday before earning her third individual gold medal of the championships by winning the 200 fly on Saturday with a time of 2:05.42.
Rachel Wuko (Wildwood Crest, N.J./Wildwood Catholic) and Jonathan Gomez (Cali, Colombia/Patrick Henry [Va.]) each notched their second gold medal of the invitational on Saturday.
Wuko defended her 2014 MAAC Championship titles in the 50 free on Thursday and then repeated in the 100 free on Saturday with a time of 51.02. The junior also placed third in the 200 free on Friday.
Gomez, who was named the 2014 Most Outstanding Male Swimmer of the Meet, finished second in the 200 IM on Thursday and then won the 400 IM on Friday for the second-straight year on Friday and capped his championships by repeating as MAAC champion in the 200 fly with a meet record and NCAA "B" cut time of 1:46.45.
Wuko, Feneron, Samardzic and Anastasiia Mushtei (Dneiptopnovsh, Ukraine/Finans Deukomi) closed out the championships with a third-place standing in the 400-free relay (3:31.38).
Nicholas Riepe (Middlesex, N.J./Saint Joseph) finished second in the 1650 free (15:30.67) and Bence Greifenstein (Budapest, Hungary/Kerek) was third in the 200 breast (2:02.63).
Manuel Garcia (Mexico City, Mexico/The American School Foundation) placed two spots behind Gomez in the 200 fly (1:51.62) while Alejandro Rubin (Caracas, Venezuela/San Ignacio) was seventh in the event (1:53.11).
Igal Oren (Jersey City, N.J./Ort Kiryar Bialik) placed seventh in the 100 free while Daniel Gayetsky (East Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick) finished 11 in the 1650 free (16:10.74) and Diego Rueda (Bucaramanga, Colombia/School of the Future) was 14 in the long distance race (16:32.45).
The 400-free relay team of Oren, Thomas Calloni (Jersey City, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep), Rubin and Gomez finished fifth (3:07.38).
On the women's side in the 1650 free, Christina Petrelis (Belle Mead, N.J./Montgomery) finished seventh (17:38.20), Mushtei was ninth (17:44.30) and Karen Castaneda (Woodbridge, N.J./Woodbridge) placed 14 in the competition (17:46.34).
On the women's side, Marist won the title with a score of 860 points while Canisius (528), Rider (436.50), Saint Peter's (407), Siena (388), Iona (376), Fairfield (298), Niagara (297) and Manhattan (141.70) rounded out the nine-team field.
For the men, Rider won the title with a score of 689.50 while Marist (635.50), Canisius (498), Saint Peter's (482.50), Iona (349), Bryant (339.50), Niagara (300), Manhattan (230) and Fairfield (207) rounded out the nine-team field.
