Swim Team Preps for NEC Championship

Swim+Team+Preps+for+NEC+Championship

The swim team will compete at the Northeast Conference Championship at Keystone Aquatic Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, from March 30 to April 1.

Nine NEC teams will be competing for the title, with preliminary events in the mornings and finals at night.

“I am interested to see how the team performs and the times we can achieve,” said head coach Phil Hurley. “They have been working extremely hard in practice, and we’ve hit speeds here in Loretto that make me really excited to see what we can do in the next week.”

Junior Millie Laudenbach from Kambah, Australia, is seeded first in the 200-backstroke and second in the 100-backstroke entering the NEC finals. Laudenbach is also ranked in the top five in the 500-freestyle.

Krysta Weik, a sophomore from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, is the fifth seed in the 100-breaststroke and fourth in the 200-breaststroke. Weik ranks eighth in the 400-individual medley in the NEC.

“We have some really strong competitors this year, with a lot of our girls breaking the top 16 for the conference and getting into the two fastest heats,” said Hurely.

Juniors Rebecca Pendleton and Chloe Clemens are both among the NEC’s top 10 in the 200-butterfly. Clemens is also in the top 10 in the 200-freestyle.

The freshman class is also looking to make an impact for the Flash. Nicole López Kohlmann from Mexico City, Mexico, is in the top 10 in the 200-individual medley.

“We have some really tough competition this year, and with the extended season, it will be interesting to see how each team performs,” said senior Jess Rupp of Cincinnati, Ohio.

“As a team, we’ve maintained a high energy and remained positive despite the interruptions with COVID-19.”

SFU finished fourth at the NEC Championship last year. Central Connecticut State is the defending conference champion.

“I would love to see us notch a top-three finish this year, but we are going to have to work hard and have good speed to get those points,” said Hurley.