Thursday's Results |
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Geneva, Ohio – Day two of the 2017 Atlantic 10 Swimming & Diving Championship has concluded at Spire Institute and the men's competition is tight between the eight teams.
Massachusetts holds a slim lead with 204 points with La Salle right on their heels with 199. George Washington is third with 177, followed by George Mason (157.5), St. Bonaventure (152), Fordham (146.5), Saint Louis (144), and Davidson (80).
It was another record breaking day for Fordham, as three men's records fell on day two, leading to three appearances on the medal podium.
The night of finals began with the 500 freestyle, where the first school record fell, as freshman
Joseph Vizza took bronze with a school record time of 4:26.02, surpassing
Steve Sholdra's record of 4:26.27, set last season. In addition to Vizza, junior
Liam Semple picked up a fifth place finish in the event in 4:28.56, which put Fordham into second place in the team standings.
With tears in his eyes, senior Joe Mercurio stands atop the podium after the 50 freestyle.
Unfortunately the stay in second place didn't last long for the Rams, as none of the six swimmers in the 200 individual medley event made it into the finals.
Chris Viera was Fordham's top finisher in the event, taking 18
th overall in 1:52.68, while
Isiah Magsino was 20
th in 1:53.42.
The highlight of the night came in the following event in the 50 freestyle, as senior
Joe Mercurio tied for first place with George Mason's Zepher Begnell as both earned gold medals and First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors. Mercurio, who missed all of last season, clocked in with a school record time of 20.26 seconds, besting Devon Morris' 2012 mark of 20.28 seconds. Sophomore
Travis Monahan joined Mercurio in the scoring column, as he placed 11
th with a time of 20.83 seconds.
Next up was the men's one-meter dive event, where sophomore
Christopher Craig placed 15
th in the "B" final with a score of 190.50.
The final event on day two was the 200 freestyle relay, where Fordham earned its second bronze medal of the night. The Rams' team of Monahan, Mercurio,
Kevin Berry, and Vizza placed third in a school record time of 1:21.23. The previous mark was 1:21.68, set in 2012.
Day three of the Championship begins at 10:00 AM on Friday with preliminaries, followed by the finals at 6:30 PM.
