PITMAN, N.J. – Rookie superstar
Rowan O'Donoghue of the 20th-ranked Salisbury University women's swimming team was officially christened as the
top newcomer to the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) on Tuesday, winning NJAC Rookie of the Year to headline a record-setting 23 All-NJAC selections for the Sea Gulls.
O'Donoghue (Fr. – Newark, Del.) became the first Sea Gull swimmer – woman or man – to earn top rookie honors in any conference after earning a whopping seven All-NJAC honors, hitting six NCAA B-cuts, and securing two All-America nods in her first season between the collegiate lanes. Her debut reached an apex earlier this month at the NCAA Championships when she earned Second-Team All-American status in both the 200-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle.
Before making her name on the national stage, O'Donoghue established herself as a force to be reckoned with at the NJAC Championships in February, winning gold medals in all three of her solo events (100 free, 200 free, 500 free) and anchoring two relays (400 free relay, 800 free relay), as well as a pair of silver medals on two more relay teams (200 free relay, 400 medley relay). O'Donoghue's seven medals broke the Sea Gull women's single-conference meet record of six established just last season by
Sydney McCallie.
O'Donoghue alone captured seven of Salisbury's program-record 38 All-NJAC placements, as
determined by NJAC Championship finishes, with 18 SU swimmers taking individual honors and all five of the Sea Gulls' four-member relay teams earning league recognition.
Sitting just behind Wood with three individual All-NJAC honors was
Addi Wood, who earned one each of First-Team, Second-Team, and Honorable Mention nods by taking gold in the 1650 free, silver in the 500 free, and bronze in the 400 individual medley. Wood (Jr. – Virginia Beach, Va.) used her 1650 free championship as a springboard to greater things at nationals, becoming a First-Team All-American and NCAA runner-up in the event.
Maddie Powell and
Olivia Polucha also earned two individual All-NJAC placements, including one First-Team selection apiece. Powell (Jr. – Fairfax, Va.) won a gold medal in the 200 breaststroke and the 100 breast, while Polucha (Jr. – Odenton, Md.) took the title in the 200 butterfly and bronze in the 100 fly.
Individual second-team honorees included
Lily Griffin,
Sadie Hebert, and
Jenna Krawlzik. Griffin (Jr. – Taneytown, Md.) won a pair of silver medals in the 100 fly and 200 fly, finishing behind teammate Polucha in the latter. Hebert (Jr. – Damascus, Md.) took home a silver in the 400 IM and a bronze in the 500 free, the latter of which completed a Sea Gull sweep of the event's podium (O'Donoghue, Wood). Krawlzik (So. – West Lawn, Pa.) pushed Wood to the finish in the 1650 free, placing second.
Alexa Hilty,
Isabelle Salvatore, and
Libby Miyashita each earned one All-NJAC honorable mention by placing third in their respective races. Hilty (Sr. – York, Pa.) earned the bronze in the 200 free, while Salvatore (Fr. – Wilmington, Del.) and Miyashita (Fr. – Glen Allen, Va.) took bronze in the 100 backstroke and 200 fly, respectively.
Salisbury was also one of two NJAC schools to garner all-conference laurels in all five relay events, including three First-Team and two Second-Team nods. Only Kean (two gold, two silver, one bronze) also placed quartets on the podium after all five races.
SU saw its quartets capture the gold in the 400 free relay (
Rachel Rickabaugh, Griffin, Hilty, O'Donoghue), 800 free relay (
Mackenzie Gula, Polucha, Krawlzik, O'Donoghue), and 200 medley relay (Salvatore, Gula, Griffin,
Kaitlyn McGuire), as well as silver medals in the 200 free relay (McGuire, O'Donoghue, Griffin, Hilty) and the 400 medley relay (Salvatore, Gula, Griffin, O'Donoghue).
Behind its championship performances in nine of the 18 swimming events and top-three finishers in 13 races, Salisbury successfully defended its NJAC title and won its second straight crown with 1,635 points, over 600 points clear of the rest of the field of 10 teams. SU finished the year by sending 19 participants to the NCAA Championships and tying for 26th at nationals with 32 points via its three All-America turns.
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 207 conference championships, and have produced 54 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.
