Abribat, Moffitt Win Individual Titles, Saints 3rd in Liberty League
by:
Tara FreemanCasey Abribat won the individual title in the 400 IM at the Liberrty League meet
Dec. 1: Senior Casey Abribat won the Liberty League championship in the 400 individual medley, sophomore Sammi Moffitt won the 200 back in a record time and the Saint women's swim team matched its best finish in Liberty League history with a third as the 2012 Liberty League Swimming and Diving Championships concluded at RIT Saturday evening
The Saint women finished the meet with two individual champions and a host of top ten finishes in an outstanding showing. The Saint men had their best session of the meet on Saturday with four top ten finishes.The individual championships were the first for the Saints since Hannah Grimes won the 100 breaststroke in 2007.
Moffitt set the Liberty League, RIT pool and SLU record at 2:07.83 in winning the 200 back and added a third in the 100 back in 1:01.11. Abribat added a fourth in the 200 back and was third in the 200 fly in 2:13.50 . Abribat won her first conference title with a 4:43.39 clocking in the 400 IM, just three seconds off the long-standing SLU record. She also swam the opening backstroke leg on the 200 medley relay which was second in 1:52.72. She was joined by Stacy Czaja, Moffitt and Alana Blackburn on the relay team
The University of Rochester dominated both meets in the team race, winning the women's title with1073 points with RPI second with 586 and the Saints third with 444. William Smith was fourth with 414 in a nine team field
Elizabeth Canne also had a big Saturday for the Saints with second place finishes in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke. She clocked 1:09.99 in the 100 with Czaja adding a fourth place finish and Zinnia Smith tenth and Canne swam 2:32.76 in the 200 with Smith finishing seventh.
Carly Berizzi was sixth, Moffitt eighth and Blackburn 16th in the 100 fly, and Berizzi added a sixth and Molly Sneden was 14th in the 100 back. Berizzi was ninth in the 200 fly, Blackburn was ninth in the 100 free while Olivia Rettstatt finished 13th and Caroline Winslow was15th in the 1650 free.
The team of Kathryn Whittum, Jane Moreau, Abribat and Blackburn finished eighth in 3:49.81 in the 400 free relay.
The Saint men were eighth in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:49.29. Grant Reeder, Matt Bauer, Jason Dutra and Alex Root made up the Saint team. Dutra had a sixth place finish in 53.59 in the 100 fly and Tad Deatley scored in the 400 IM with a 14th place finish in 4:40.96 .
Dutra finished fourth in the 100 back in 55.21 while Root was sixth and Deatly was seventh in the 1650 free. Dutra also added a tenth place finish in the 200 back.
The Saint 400 free relay team of Root, Reeder, Bauer and Ryan Karklin finished 14th.