Top Moments: Swimming & Diving Finishes MAAC Championships With 11 Medals

Saint Peter’s University Athletics enjoyed an incredibly successful 2019-20 academic year and was poised for even greater heights prior to the early cancelations of the winter and spring seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To honor the incredible student-athletes who made this past athletics season possible, we will look back at a number of milestone moments every week to celebrate 2019-20 to the fullest.

Setting The Stage 

The Saint Peter's University swimming and diving teams had put a bow on another fine regular season at the end of January. 

In what was their final dual meet of the regular season against local rival St. Francis Brooklyn, the men's team dominated the scoreboard in a 162-119 victory while the women's side saw a number of stellar individual performances, as well.  

That would set the stage for the 2020 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Swimming & Diving Championships in mid-February at the campus of Erie Community College in Buffalo, New York. After a four-month span that saw a number of dual meet head-to-head victories starting from the first invitational in early October, the Peacocks were primed to showcase the progress they had made at the most prestigious event of the season. 

Special Send-Off

Before the 2020 MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships began, the men's basketball program put together a special send-off from Jersey City to thank a group that had been among its most passionate and loyal supporters at their home games throughout the 2019-20 season.

A Solid Start

Saint Peter's closed out the night in fifth place, while the women were slotted in eighth after the opening session of the 2020 MAAC Championships. Among the highlights:

• The quartet of Michael Spark, Luke Cillie, Martin Le Pays du Teilleul, and Yann Le Gall finished sixth in the 200 yard medley relay, clocking in at 1:30.98.
• Natalie Davis, Devyn Hantgin, Amelie Essmann, and Efrat Marom placed eighth in the 200 yard medley relay with a time of 1:48.15 and ninth in the 800 yard medley relay with a time of 7:58.41.
• Coming in fourth place, Cillie, Le Gall, Le Pays du Teilleul, and Andrew Galarza had the most impressive finish of the night, boasting a time of 6:41.99 in the 800 yard medley relay.

Hardware Hauls on Day 2

Saint Peter's started to bring home the hardware on the second day of the league championships meet. In particular on the men's side, Luke Cillie, Martin Le Pays du Teilleul and Noah Berlin all became the first medalists of the weekend for the Peacocks after the day's events.

• Cillie set a new team record in the 200 yard IM, finishing in second to earn the silver medal and boasting a time of 1:47.51. Le Pays du Teilleul also collected a medal in the 200 yard IM, finishing in fifth with a time of 1:50.60.
• Berlin earned a podium finish in the 500 yard freestyle, placing seventh after stopping the clock at 4:34.68.
• The quartet of Cillie, Yann Le Gall, Le Pays du Teilleul, and Andrew Galarza placed fifth in the 200 yard freestyle relay, clocking in at 1:22.97.

More Accolades Set on Day 3

Saint Peter's kept the momentum from their strong Day 2 showing at the 2020 MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships and earned more medals on the third day of the league championship meet.  Luke Cillie and Martin Le Pays du Teilleul earned their second set of medals at the league championship meet, while Andrew Galarza and Yann Le Gall earned their first set of hardware.

• Highlighting the long third day of championship action was Cillie's silver medal performance in the 100 yard breaststroke. The rookie boasted a time of 54.23 to represent the top finish in an individual event by a Peacock thus far.
• Martin Le Pays du Teilleul earned a fifth-place medal in the 400 yard IM, finishing at 4:00.53.
• Both Andrew Galarza and Yann Le Gall collected hardware in the 200 yard freestyle, coming in seventh with a time of 1:41.30 and eighth with a time of 1:44.45, respectively.

Finishing Strong

Saint Peter's completed the final day of the 2020 MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships on a high note, earning a collective 11 medals throughout the Championships with the last four pieces of hardware being earned on the final day of competition by Marie-Christine Geck, Noah Berlin, Luke Cillie and Brian Coughlin.

• Junior Marie-Christine Geck earned her first medal of the Championships, placing fourth in the 1650 yard freestyle with a time of 17:23.96.
• Berlin had an eighth place podium finish in the 1650 yard freestyle, clocking in at 16:02.29.
• Breaking the team record in the 100 yard freestyle, Cillie collected a bronze medal, boasting a time of 44.81.
• Coughlin grabbed an eighth place medal in the 200 yard breaststroke with a time of 2:06.34.
• With the clock stopping at 3:01.89, the men's quartet of Yann Le Gall, Martin Le Pays du Teilleul, Andrew Galarza, and Cillie placed fourth in the 400 yard freestyle relay.

Stay tuned for future Top Moments of 2019-20 in the weeks ahead!

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