LEWISBURG, Pa. - In a school record and NCAA "B" cut time of 22.52, junior
Mimi Watts won the women's 50 freestyle on day two of the 2023 Patriot League Championships. The gold is the first for American University swim & dive since a women's relay win in 2011 and a men's individual win in 2010. The women's 400 medley relay—with Watts in the group—also posted a new school record.
Notable
- Watts is now the women's program's first individual conference champion since Dory Isaacs in 2009. Watts adds this gold medal to a pair of silvers and a bronze she earned at last year's championships.
- In the 50 freestyle, Watts is the first-ever champion for the women's program at American.
- She was visibly ahead of the field in her heat for the women's 50 free, finishing in 22.76 which was just 0.04 off her previous school record of 22.72. She had the top time overall among the 52 finishers in the prelims.
- She left little doubt in the finals, leading from start to finish in capturing gold with her new school record time of 22.52.
- In her second race of the evening, Watts teamed up with freshman Sophia Hemingway, junior Maddie Mara and sophomore Marissa Kleckner as the foursome crushed the previous school record in the 400 medley relay by nearly three seconds, at 3:44.43.
- Hemingway swam a lead-off 100 backstroke leg of 56.71 which is a new PR for her and moves her up to sixth all-time in program history.
- Junior Nick Buckley advanced to the "A" finals in the men's 50 free with the seventh-fastest time of 20.28. In the finals he tied for fifth, remarkably also tying his own school record of 20.20 from a year ago.
- Just barely missing out on a spot in the "B" final for the 50 free was junior Caleb Farris, who placed 17th in the prelims in 20.69, a personal best that improves upon his already fifth-place PR in program history.
- Junior Joe Melin had a great swim in the prelims of the 500 free with a personal-best time of 4:36.03 that ranks 15th all-time among fastest PRs in program history.
- The men's 400 medley relay team of Buckley, Farris, freshman Nate Coleman and junior Will Deitch took seventh in 3:21.34 with ranks fourth-fastest all-time.
- Coleman's lead-off backstroke leg of 51.65 is a new PR, and the 14th-fastest all-time at AU.
Next Up
- Competition resumes on Friday with contested events to include men's 1-meter diving, the 100 fly, 400 IM, 200 free, 100 breaststroke, 100 back and 200 free relay. See HERE for the full list of events and links to each session on ESPN+.
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