WORCESTER, Mass. – The Simmons University Swimming and Diving team set the tone on day one at the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships, highlighted by a conference record and multiple top-three finishes. After day one, the Sharks sit in fourth place with a team score of 190.
By the Numbers
- During prelims this morning, Carli Quinlan broke the GNAC record in the 200 yard freestyle with a time of 1:54.10, winning the event by more than six seconds.
- In the 200 yard medley relay, the Sharks trailed by just over two seconds heading into Quinlan's butterfly leg. Her sprint erased the deficit and lifted Simmons into the lead, setting up Bee Eckels to secure the win on the anchor with an overall time of 1:55.91.
- Clarissa Weaver earned first place in the 200 yard freestyle B final and ninth overall, posting a personal-best time of 2:27.32.
- Quinlan opened the 200 yard freestyle A final in commanding fashion and never looked back, winning the title in 1:54.12, just .02 off her conference-record swim from the morning prelims.
- Weaver later competed in the 100 yard breaststroke B final, finishing sixth with a time of 1:27.48.
- Eckels added a podium finish, earning bronze in the 100 yard breaststroke A final with a time of 1:14.09. Julia Long followed just behind teammate Eckels (1:14.31) for fourth place.
- Laura Luthi narrowly missed first in the 200 yard backstroke, finishing second overall in 2:24.38.
- Ainsley Horan recorded the sixth-fastest time in the 1000 yard freestyle, touching the wall in 12:37.11, a 14-second improvement from her January 24 performance.
- Simmons closed the night with a second-place finish in the 400 yard freestyle relay, clocking in at 3:55.42 thanks to Eckels, Charlotte Doherty, Horan, and Quinlan.
Up Next
- Simmons returns to action tomorrow morning for day two of the GNAC Championships.
