HAMPTON, Va. – The Salisbury University men's swimming team is making the Yellow Jacket Invitational its own, building a lead that nearly laps the rest of the field after day two-of-three of competition on Saturday afternoon at the Hampton Aquaplex.
The Sea Gulls racked up 1,015 points over the first two days, nearly 500 points clear of second-place Washington & Lee (554). Third-place Catholic (500.5) sits distantly behind both.
PRELIMS
- Qualifiers for the finals in the 400-yard individual medley: Ethan Lloyd (4:06.05, 2nd), Matt Merke (4:08.94, 4th), Shad Frantz (4:09.00, 5th), Brady Wolf (4:09.67, 7th), Ethan Litteken (4:15.61, 10th).
- Qualifiers for the finals in the 100 butterfly: Cameron Byrd (48.16, 1st), Mason Potts (49.95, 3rd), Griffin Harris (50.23, 4th), Themo Rigakos (50.71, 5th), Logan Edge (50.95, 7th).
- Qualifiers for the finals in the 200 freestyle: Everett Rachael (1:40.98, 2nd), Owen Mahoney (1:41.42, 3rd), Shane Hall (1:42.69, 5th), Owen Brewer (1:43.42, 6th), Kyle Skelly (1:43.77, 7th), David Gardner (1:44.85, 10th), Gabe Erb (1:45.13, 13th).
- Final qualifiers in the 100 breaststroke: Aidan Loehr (56.05, 1st), Dominic Kazzi (56.16, 2nd), Brody Hanlon (56.55, 3rd), Michael Paulos (57.36, 5th), Wolf (57.61, 7th).
- Final qualifiers in the 100 backstroke: Lucas Mitchell (51.45, 2nd), Byrd (51.64, 4th), Michael DeSimone (52.61, 5th), Harris (52.68, 6th), Mark Dattilio (53.95, 9th).
FINALS
- Salisbury took two of the top three slots in the 800 free relay. The A-squad of Mason Potts, Shad Frantz, Ethan Lloyd, and Cameron Byrd took second in 6:49.81, while the B-side (Dominic Kazzi, Themo Rigakos, Lucas Mitchell, Matt Merke) placed third in 6:59.58.
- SU also placed one-two in the 200 medley relay. The golden A-side (Potts, Aidan Loehr, Michael Paulos, Michael DeSimone touched first in 1:28.62, while the silver B-team (Mitchell, Kazzi, Griffin Harris, Rigakos) placed right behind in 1:30.88.
- Merke (4:02.73) led a pack of four Sea Gulls who finished second-through-fifth in the 400 IM, including Lloyd (4:02.82), Brady Wolf (4:06.45), and Frantz (4:08.96).
- Potts (48.50) edged out teammate Byrd (48.64) to take the title in the 100 fly.
- In the 200 free, Everett Rachael (1:40.87), Owen Mahoney (1:41.00), Owen Brewer (4:41.47), and Kyle Skelly (1:42.26) slotted second-through-fifth.
- Kazzi won the 100 breast in 55.33 seconds, leading a Sea Gull foursome that featured Loehr (55.39), Brody Hanlon (56.15), and Wolf (56.50).
- Mitchall secured a bronze medal in the 100 back in 51.25 seconds.
PROGRAM RECORDS
The Sea Gulls will look to stick the landing and win their second straight Yellow Jacket Invitational on Sunday. Day three prelims begin at 10 a.m. with finals at 5 p.m.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 206 conference championships, and have produced 53 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
