January 16, 2016
Wolverines down Blue Devils on Senior Day
GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Senior Megan Bilko (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) helped the Wolverines to four event victories and four other Wolverines earned multiple wins as the Grove City College women's swimming and diving team rolled to a 144-124 victory over SUNY-Fredonia on Senior Day at Longnecker Pool on Saturday afternoon.
Freshman Megan Crutcher (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg), junior Molly Gallant (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park), sophomore Sarah Blodgett (Bidwell, Ohio/River Valley), each joined Bilko in contributing to multiple victories on the day.
Individually, Bilko won the 200 and 200 fly while swimming the meet's fastest time in the 100 fly in exhibition. Crutcher swept the breaststroke events while Van Dyke swept the backstrokes. Blodgett won the 1650 and added a top time of the meet in the 500 free while Gallant claimed the win in the 50 free.
Junior Kristi Riesmeyer (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township), Crutcher, Bilko and Gallant opened the day with a victorious time of 1:56.30 in the 200 medley relay. Blodgett would follow with a time of 19:26.91 to win the 1650 and lead a 1-2-3 Wolverine finish with freshman Jillian Breckenridge (Dunellen, N.J./Dunellen) and sophomore Brynna Bartlett (Olive Branch, Miss./St. George's).
Bilko would beat out junior teammate Abby Jank (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) with a time of 1:59.70 for a 1-2 Grove City finish in the 200 free, and Van Dyke and sophomore Hannah Shoemaker (Butler, Pa./Knoch) posted a 1-2 Grove City finish in the 100 back in 1:06.83 and 1:09.60, respectively. Crutcher followed with a win in the 100 breast (1:09.90) before Bilko claimed her second victory with a time of 2:14.47 in the 200 fly, finishing 1-2 with Riesmeyer.
Gallant (25.09) and Jank (25.76) finished first and second in the 50 free, and Jank added a third second-place finish on the day with a time of 55.85 in the 100 free. Van Dyke won the 200 back in 2:22.63 for a 1-2-3 sweep with Riesmeyer and Shoemaker, and Crutcher came from behind in the final 25 to out-touch Fredonia's Dani Debrow with a time of 2:34.76 in the 200 breast.
Blodgett swam a 5:40.80 in the 500 free and Bilko a 1:01.44 in the 100 fly, both in exhibition. Grove City's 200 free relay of freshman Sarah Haley (Willowick, Ohio/Cornerstone Christian), sophomore Carolyn Ebel (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic), freshman Emma Wilson (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) and Blodgett also swam the meet's best time (1:51.08) in exhibition.
Senior Carolyn Eckendorf (Fairview, Pa./Fairview) and junior Grace Klimek (Oakland, Pa./South Fayette) took second (228.95) and third (217.30), respectively, in the 1-meter diving competition.
During the meet, Grove City honored the four swimmers and divers competing in their final regular-season home meet - Bilko, Blodgett, Eckendorf and Ashley Meesuk (Millersville, Md./Calvary Baptist).
Grove City is off next weekend before visiting rival Westminster on Thursday, January 28 at 6 p.m.
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