WORCESTER, Mass.-- On the final day of the Gompei Invitational, the Saint Peter's swimming and diving programs added nine more podium finishes to close out the meet in third place with 4,288.50 points. Host WPI captured the team title with 8,752 points, while Bentley placed second with 5,091.
During prelims,
Paige Austin-Burrows shattered her own 100 IM school record, set earlier this season at Iona, becoming the first Peacock in program history to break the one-minute barrier.
FINALS RESULTS
The Peacocks opened the day just as they had on days one and two–with gold in a mixed relay.
The mixed 400 freestyle relay squads went 1-3, with SPU A (Austin-Burrows,
Jeff Thompson, Elettra Dalcerri, Ashton Smith) dominating the field by more than eight seconds in 3:23.07. SPU B (
Austin Carducci, Gwendolyn Mendez, Niela Dawlett, Nikita Kaminskas) earned bronze in 3:32.42. SPU C took sixth (3:41.02), and SPU D rounded out the event in 3:52.06.
In the 1650 freestyle,
Maddie McKinney led the Peacock women with a sixth-place finish in 18:16.69, followed by
Eloise Schirtzinger (18:27.95) and
Hailey Zeszotarski (19:39.90). On the men's side,
Juan Nunez and
Patch Robinson delivered Saint Peter's first individual medals of the night–Nunez claiming gold in 16:06.94, and Robinson earning bronze in 16:25.27.
In the 100 freestyle, Dalcerri paced the women with a new personal best of 55.28 (15th), followed closely by
Madison Petricevic (55.53) and McKinney (58.22). Smith posted the top men's finish, taking 11th in 47.26, with Thompson adding points in 48.40.
The 200 backstroke saw
Francesca Solano Vargas nearly reach the podium, finishing fourth in 2:08.93, just behind Sacred Heart's Maddie Goret. McKinney placed 10th (2:11.03), and
Chris Carolin Weiss finished 13th (2:12.72).
Nunez added his second individual medal of the night with a time of 1:50.14, while
Ean Vellescig and Carducci finished fourth and fifth in 1:54.76 and 1:56.05.
Austin-Burrows lowered her freshly broken 100 IM school record yet again, finishing second in 58.50, behind Bentley's Skyla Lang (58.06). Mendez placed ninth (1:03.07), and
Michelle Kaminskas finished in 1:11.42.
Smith led the Peacock men with a fourth-place finish in 53.17, followed by
Emerson Tofel (58.55), Seton-Martin (58.66), Horrisberger (1:01.98), and Torres (1:04.28).
In the 200 butterfly,
Tristan Raso claimed bronze in 1:57.95. Mendez represented SPU in the 50 breaststroke, earning seventh in 31.82.
In the final individual event of the evening, Saint Peter's closed its meet with another signature 1-2 finish in the men's 50 breaststroke.
Victor Fuentes claimed gold in 26.23, followed by
Vellescig in 26.56 (PR). Carducci placed tenth (26.56), with Tofel (28.50) and Kaminskas (29.23) rounding out the scoring.
UP NEXT
Saint Peter's will take a month-long break from competition before returning to action on Saturday, January 10, for another MAAC matchup against Manhattan at the Jeffrey H. Loria Family Aquatic Center at Horace Mann School in Riverdale, N.Y.
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