The Maine state collegiate swim and dive invitational meet took place on Friday Dec. 6 and 7 at Colby College, where the University of Maine’s men’s team took home first place, and the women second place out of eight competing Maine institutions.
The highlight of day one came in the 400-yard mixed medley relay, where the team of Kennady Hart, Hannah Deighan, Nate Teerlinck and Cam Watelet claimed first place with a record-breaking time of 3:35.78. The time set new meet and pool records for the event.
In the men’s individual events, Kaden Kilger earned a third-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:45.54. Joey Stauss also placed in the top five, finishing fourth in the 50-yard butterfly with a time of 22.67 seconds.
Teerlinck added a second-place finish in the 50-yard breaststroke with a time of 25.82, while Watelet secured second place in the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 22.81. In the 200-yard freestyle relay, Watelet, Julian LaPietra, Finn Devers, and Max Ginsburg finished in a tie for third with a time of 1:23.01.
Devers individually placed second in the men’s 400-yard IM, with a time of 4:07.73. Watelet and Stauss finished first and second, respectively, in the 100-yard butterfly, showing dominance in that event for the Black Bears.
Watelet locked up another Black Bear win with a 50.62 second finish in the 100-yard backstroke.
Individually for the women, Nicolene Harkins placed second in the 500-yard freestyle, posting a time of 5:06.35. Hart then secured a win in the 50-yard butterfly, claiming first place with a time of 25.96 seconds.
In the 200-yard IM, Marlee Canale finished third with a time of 2:10.17, while three Maine swimmers made their mark in the 50-yard backstroke. Madison Edwards placed third in 27.31 seconds, while Charlie Hoover and Morgan Thompson tied for fifth with identical times of 27.41 seconds.
Ainslie Boswell enjoyed a third-place finish in the women’s 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:06.02. Hart secured the victory in the 100-yard backstroke, finishing at 56.94 seconds.
Maine’s well-rounded performances in team and individual events allowed them to take home the most share of points on the weekend, proving their dominance among Maine’s collegiate institutions.
The Black Bears’ next action will be at Bowdoin College on Jan. 18.
