Maine Maritime Academy "Three-Peats" for the NAC Men's Swimming & Diving Championship
WATERVILLE, Maine – The Maine Maritime Academy men’s swimming and diving team claimed the 2024 North Atlantic Conference Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship crown for the third straight year, following the conclusion of the Metropolitan Collegiate Swimming and Diving Championships on Sunday.
Maine Maritime tallied 695 points to solidify their first-place victory, while Husson University followed in second place with 533 points. Gordon College took third with a score of 213, and the NAC leaderboard was rounded out with SUNY Delhi capturing 15 points.
The Metro Collegiate Championship meet served as the 2024 North Atlantic Conference Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship. NAC swimmers and divers were scored separately from the METS to determine a NAC champion.
The Mariners dominated the weekend, as they earned the top NAC finish in 13 events. Carson Trout had a notable weekend, claiming the top NAC place in three events (50 Freestyle, 100 Yard Butterfly, 100 Yard Freestyle), while John Markillie picked up three top-three individual conference honors. Markillie was the top NAC finisher in the 500 Freestyle and100 Yard Butterfly, while also placing second 200 Yard Backstroke. The Husson Eagles showcased a true team effort and saw Alex Walsh pick up three top-three individual accolades, as well (500 Freestyle, 200 Yard Freestyle, 200 Yard Backstroke).
The Weekend at a Glance:
To kick things off on day one of the championship meet, the Maine Maritime team of Trout, Fox Fernald, John Driscoll, and Markillie saw immediate success on the weekend with a NAC and Metro victory in the 200 Freestyle Relay, capturing a time of 1:28.05. Husson trailed just behind in second place in both the NAC and Metro (1:28.31). In the 500 Free, Markillie again found himself atop the podium in the NAC and Metro with a time of 4:53.53. Husson’s Alex Walsh came in second in the Metro with a 4:58.74 finish while Maine Maritime’s James Creegan trailed with a time of 5:00.14. John Sullivan of Gordon was also amongst the top four NAC competitors, placing sixth overall at 5:13.57.
Husson’s Brady Hand found success in the 200 Individual Medley, claiming the top NAC spot. Hand swam a time of 2:00.17, while Maine Maritime took the next five Metro times in the event. In the 50 Freestyle, Trout captured a time of 21.46 to claim the NAC event title and placing second in the Metro, while Ryan Emerson (21.89, Husson), James Branaugh (22.11, Gordon) and Brayden Champlin (22.31, Husson) finished fourth, fifth, and sixth in the Metro respectively.
In day two of competition, Maine Maritime captured second place in the Metro and was the top NAC competitor in 200 Yard Medley Relay with a 1:38.23 victory over Husson’s 1:39.58. Husson took the 1 Meter Diving event, finishing first and third amongst conference competitors (second and fifth in the Metro), with Spencer Bernat claiming the NAC title (448.75). The Mariners took first in the conference standings in the 400 Yard Individual Medley, alongside the 100 Yard Butterfly. Husson’s Walsh led the NAC in the 200 Yard Freestyle (1:47.91) earning a third-place finish in the Metro. The NAC leaderboard for this event was rounded out by Maine Maritime’s Aidan Walls (1:50.07) and James Creegan (1:56.45) and Husson’s Isaias Therio (1:55.79).
Aidan Burke of Maine Maritime placed first in the conference in the 100 Yard Breaststroke, finishing with a time of 1:01.42 and Gordon saw success with James Barnaugh claiming a 1:04.10 finish. In the 100 Yard Backstroke, Husson and Maine Maritime clinched the leaders category, while SUNY Delhi’s Dylan Kilgore earned points for the Broncos with a 1:02.46 swim.
Going into the final day of the championship, teams rounded out the weekend competition with a close matchup in the 1650 Yard Freestyle. Creegan (Maine Maritime) notched a 17:54.42 time and was followed closely by John Sullivan (Gordon) with a time of 18:10.56, Creegan and Sullivan finished in third and fourth place respectively in the Metro standings. Maine Maritime and Husson fought for the top finish in the 200 Yard Backstroke and 100 Yard Freestyle, with Markillie capturing a time of 2:00.42 in the 200 Backstroke (3
rd in the Metro) and Trout finding an impressive 47.59 time in the 100 Freestyle (2
nd in Metro).
Husson closed out the competition with the NAC title in the 400 Freestyle Relay, logging a time of 3:14.23, good enough for a third place finish in the Metro event. Maine Maritime finished with a time of 3:16.66 and Gordon rounded out the NAC competitors with a time of 3:31.69.
In the Metro championship, Maine Maritime placed first out of 11 teams with a score of 1,288. Husson finished in fourth (1,004) and Gordon College placed sixth (423). The Mariners had swimmers place in the top three in the Metro in 12 different events.