WORCESTER, MA– After a short break, the Saint Peter's swimming and diving programs gear up for their final meet of the semester at the Gompei Invitational, hosted by WPI from December 5-7. Action begins each day at 9 a.m., followed by finals at 5:30 p.m.
The Peacocks last competed at Sacred Heart's Friendsgiving Duals, where the women's team fell to Sacred Heart and Merrimack but defeated Bridgeport, while the men's squad dropped its contest to Bridgeport.
Juan Nunez and
Madison Petricevic delivered Saint Peter's two gold medals of the meet, and freshman
Patch Robinson became the first male swimmer in program history to earn back-to-back MAAC Rookie of the Week honors–and the first Peacock to win consecutive MAAC accolades overall since 2014.
Nunez competed in five events and recorded the men's lone individual gold, breaking Sacred Heart's pool record with a personal-best 1:54.56 in the 200-yard backstroke. Robinson added key podium finishes across his events, while Petricevic claimed gold in the 100-yard backstroke with a season-best 59.95, edging the competition by just .02 seconds.
PREVIEWING THE COMPETITION
This year's Gompei Invitational features a deep and diverse field that will include WPI, Sacred Heart, Merrimack, Central Connecticut State University, Springfield College, Brandeis University, and Clark University.
Host institution WPI brings a 2-8 women's and 5-4 men's record into the meet. The Engineers were swept in their most recent outing, with the women being taken down by Tufts, Trinity (CT), and Williams, while the men dropped decisions to Tufts and Williams but defeated Trinity. Freshman Lucas Brown and sophomore Sarah Kang lead the programs into December; Brown has seven podium finishes in his last 11 events, highlighted by wins in the 500 and 1000 freestyles against Southern Connecticut State University, while Kang owns eight podiums in November, including victories in the 100 and 200 backstroke and the 100 butterfly against SCSU.
Sacred Heart enters the meet at 8-2, riding a four-meet win streak after sweeping its Friendsgiving Duals with victories over Saint Peter's, Merrimack, and Bridgeport. Junior Sophia Velleco leads the Pioneers, going a perfect 14-for-14 in podium finishes on the season, highlighted with trio of golds in the 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, and anchoring the 200 medley relay last weekend.
Merrimack enters the weekend at 3-6, with all three victories coming in November. The Warriors are fresh off a split at Sacred Heart's Friendsgiving Duals, where they defeated Saint Peter's and Bridgeport but fell to SHU. Senior Kendra Daily continues to pace the roster, earning 10 podium finishes in November and sweeping the 50 and 100 freestyle events at SHU last weekend.
Central Connecticut State University arrives at 5-1 and undefeated in November, earning wins over Binghamton at NJIT's tri-meet and sweeping Albertus Magnus and Saint Joseph (CT) at its Friday Night Sprints. Junior Maggie Rutledge anchors the Blue Devils with a perfect 5-for-5 podium month that included gold medals in the 100 and 200 freestyle at NJIT.
Springfield College's women's team is 1-4 and coming off a sweep by Wesleyan (CT) and Williams, while the men's squad sits at 1-4 after snapping a four-meet skid against Wesleyan. Freshmen leaders Lena Thompson and Riley Hester have combined for 12 podium finishes in November; Thompson recently took bronze in the 200 freestyle, while Hester anchored the 400 freestyle relay to gold.
Brandeis University enters the meet still searching for its first women's victory at 0-8, while the men stand at 1-6. Rookie Michelle Weissler has earned three podium finishes in her last eight events, highlighted by a win in the 100 breaststroke against Tufts. Senior Ben Lee has paced the men's side with five podium finishes in November, including gold in the 200 freestyle while also helping the 200 freestyle and medley relays to silver versus Coast Guard.
Clark University has competed in three meets so far, with the women's team at 1-2 following a quad-meet victory over Husson, Rhode Island College, and Western New England. The men stand at 0-3 and are coming off a narrow eight-point loss to Husson. Junior Abby Seguin leads the women with seven podium finishes this season, including wins in the 50 butterfly and 1000 freestyle. Rookie Morgan Murray has been a bright spot for the men, collecting five podium finishes highlighted by gold in the 200 breaststroke.
LAST YEAR AT GOMPEI INVITATIONAL
Division I Bryant University swept last year's competition, combining for 7,615.5 points. The Bulldogs' women's team tallied 10 gold, 12 silver, and 11 bronze medals, while the men added 12 golds, 10 silvers, and seven bronzes. Junior James Misto led the meet with seven golds and two silvers, and senior Elayna Pistrin added three golds and four silvers.
Sacred Heart finished second on the women's side (2,557 points), followed by WPI (1,571), Central Connecticut State University (1,503), and Williams (1,350).
On the men's side, WPI claimed second with 3,590.5 points, followed by Bentley (2,579), Springfield (1,956.5), and Brandeis (1,409).
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