Szott Caps Career With Second Diving Title Of Weekend At PAC Championships
GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Senior John Szott (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) claimed the Presidents' Athletic Conference 3-meter diving title to highlight Washington & Jefferson College on the final night of the three-day championship swimming and diving meet at Grove City College.
Szott capped his eight-time, All-PAC career with a pair of conference diving titles after winning the 1-meter championship on Thursday night to earn the PAC Men's Diver of the Year award. Szott posted 388.90 points at three meters to edge Grove City's Richie Klimek by 19 points.
The Presidents' top women's finish was sophomore Jennifer Suder's (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) runner-up showing on the 1-meter diving board (358.45). Coupled with her conference title Thursday on the 3-meter board, Suder was selected as the PAC Women's Diver of the Year.
Suder's and Szott's performances helped W&J's Vic Galati to earn the PAC Diving Coach of the Year award.
The W&J men placed third out of five teams with 422 points behind Westminster (741) and Grove City (728). Saint Vincent (362) and Bethany (34) were fourth and fifth, respectively. Grove City captured the women's team championship with 926 points, while Westminster (775), Saint Vincent (539), W&J (400) and Bethany (173) rounded out the standings.
Sophomore Ben Mancini (Oreland, Pa./Springfield Township) took fourth place in the 1650 freestyle (17:05.38) for the men's squad, while classmate Charlotte Lima (Brooklyn, N.Y./Choate Rosemary Hall) earned fifth place for the Presidents' women in the 200 backstroke (2:12.65). Freshman Rachel Murphy (Sutherlin, Ore./Roseburg) also recorded sixth place in the 200 breaststroke (2:33.13).
Freshman Kevin Dunigan (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) broke a school record that lasted for 11 years (formerly held by Chris Shively) when he took seventh place in the 200 breaststroke (2:10.94).
The Presidents' top relay of the evening was the women's 400 freestyle relay which placed third in a time of 3:45.11. Lima, senior Jami Andrews (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield), sophomore Jessica Sweitzer (Laurel, Md./Seton Keough) and freshman Jenny Matuszewski (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) swam on the relay.
