Posted: Mar 06, 2017
FIT Tigers Flex Muscles at Nationals
Courtesy of FIT
(Buffalo, NY)The 2016-17 swimming season came to a close this week at the Burt Flickinger Aquatic Center in Buffalo, NY. Eight of the ten Tigers competing at Nationals scored points for FIT, as eight school records were toppled in the process.
Day 1
Action began with the 50 breaststroke. Two Tigers, Veronika Vira and Franja Aguirre-Sierra, took to the blocks, with both posting lifetime bests. Vira swam a 37.38 to finish 14th overall, securing the fourth fastest time ever at FIT. Aguirre-Sierra followed with a tremendous two-and-a-half-second improvement, lowering his time to 34.17 and ranking him eighth all-time at FIT.
Alexa Landis and Jordan Gifford competed side by side moments later in the 1000 freestyle. The distance swimmers finished 15th and 16th, respectively, clocking 12:34.56 and 12:38.12. Landis now ranks fifth all-time at FIT in the event, with Gifford one spot behind her.
The first school record of the meet fell-twice-in the following event, the 200 IM. Maggie (Margaret O'Connell) chopped three seconds off her own record from Districts with a 2:20.20 during the prelims. She shaved another .07 seconds off the new record in finals, finishing 12th. Cassandra Fotos, meanwhile, knocked her season best time down another seven seconds with her 19th place 2:34.92. That time lands her seventh all-time at FIT.
In the 50 freestyle, Courtney Yanzsa, Vira, Natalia Loren Bello, and Myles Gala all stepped up for the deepest event of the meet. The women posted times of 27.89 (23rd), 29.89 (28th), and 29.99 (29th), respectively, while Gala raced to a 23.64 to finish 27th on the men's side. Gala now ranks fourth on the FIT top-ten list.
Rounding out the day's events was the 200 medley relay. Fotos, Vira, Landis, and Bello teamed up to take 11th in a time of 2:11.92, good enough for seventh all-time at FIT, while Fotos' lead off leg of 31.89 earned her the fifth fastest time in the 50 backstroke on the school top-ten list.
Day 2
The second day of competition got underway with the foursome of O'Connell, Sam Cole, Fotos, and Yanzsa clocking the second fastest time ever at FIT in the 200 freestyle relay. Their 1:50.69 came within half a second of the school standard and earned them a ninth place finish overall.
Fotos returned in the following event to capture 13th in the 50 backstroke. She hit the wall in her top time of the season, 31.32, and in the process moved to fourth all-time at FIT. Finishing just outside the top 16 in the prelims, Bello punched a best time of 35.29, good enough for 17th.
Both swimmers in the 400 IM advanced to the consolation final. O'Connell garnered the highest individual finish of the meet so far with her win in the B heat to take ninth in 5:09.19. That time ranks her second fastest in school history. Two lanes over, Landis dropped another nine seconds from her best, touching in 5:38.59 to for 12th. She climbs the school top-ten list to seventh.
Gala easily broke his own school record in the following event, the men's 100 butterfly. His 17th place prelim time was a near two-second season drop, bringing the new record down to 54.84. Gala also lowered the 50 butterfly record in the same swim with his split of 25.85.
Yanzsa, Gifford, and Cole represented the Tigers in the 200 freestyle. Yanzsa advanced to finals where she finished 16th overall with her fastest time of the season. Her 2:11.75 lifts her to fifth all-time at FIT. Gifford cracked the 2:20 barrier for the first time in her career, racing to 2:19.91, while Cole posted a 2:25.66, good enough for 19th and 20th, respectively.
In the final event of the day, the 400 medley relay, Fotos, Vira, O'Connell, and Yanzsa teamed up to take seventh place with a time of 4:37.02, catapulting them to third all-time at FIT.
Day 3
The first event of the day was the 100 IM. Cole finished 16th on the women's side after clocking a 1:14.70 in prelims. Gala finished 11th for the men in 58.71, shy of his 58.18 from the morning, which marked his third school record of the meet.
Landis, Yanzsa, and Gifford represented the Tigers in the following event, the 500 freestyle. Each of the three women raced to season bests of 6:01.68 (16th), 6:02.30 (17th), and 6:07.25 (20th), respectively. Those times elevate them to seventh, eighth, and ninth all-time at FIT.
Fotos was next in the water racing the women's 100 backstroke. She finished 19th in 1:08.47, her best of the season excluding her 1:08.22 lead-off leg on the medley relay the day before.
Both Vira and Aguirre-Sierra claimed significant improvements in the 100 breaststroke. Vira touched in a 1:22.67, nearly a three-second drop that landed her 17th overall and fourth on the top-ten list at FIT. Aguirre-Sierra followed with the same margin of progress by stopping the clock in 1:15.88 for 20th place and the eighth best time at FIT.
O'Connell continued her attack on the record books. She became just the third swimmer ever at FIT to qualify for the A final of an individual event at Nationals. With her eighth place finish in the 200 butterfly, O'Connell broke the school record in both prelims and finals, ultimately etching a 2:25.03.
O'Connell returned 45 minutes later to lead Landis, Gifford, and Yanzsa in the 800 freestyle relay. The four women crafted their most impressive swim of the season by obliterating the school record by over ten seconds. Their time of 8:53.74 placed them eighth. O'Connell's lead-off swim of 2:05.21 was also the second fastest individual 200 freestyle in school history.
Day 4
Landis and Gifford were back at in the 1650 freestyle, again swimming side by side. This time the race came down to the final stroke, as Landis snuck in ahead of Gifford 21:06.44 to 21:06.46. The women finished 14th and 15th, respectively, and moved to fifth and sixth all-time at FIT.
In the 100 freestyle, Yanzsa just missed the sub-1:00 mark as she registered a 1:00.02 for 19th. That time positions her seventh on the top-ten list in the event. Cole hit the wall a 1:06.33, placing 24th overall. Gala, on the men's side, dropped down to a 51.33, finishing 22nd overall and moving him to third all-time at FIT.
O'Connell and Fotos saved their best for last in the women's 200 backstroke. The women each lowered their best times, garnering seventh and 12th overall. O'Connell's time of 2:17.60 marks yet another school record for the freshman, while Fotos' 2:25.42 ranks her third all-time at FIT.
The final individual event of the meet, the 200 breaststroke, saw more lifetime bests from Vira and Aguirre-Sierra. Vira hit a mark of 3:04.09, putting her 17th, just one spot outside of scoring. She now stands fourth on the school charts in that event. Aguirre-Sierra turned in a 100 split that outpaced his 100 time from the day before, turning at 1:15.54 and finishing in 2:40.71 for 18th. That time moves him up to fifth at FIT.
The meet concluded with the 400 freestyle relay team of O'Connell, Cole, Fotos, and Yanzsa taking home the school's final medal of the week. Their time of 4:03.54 was good enough for eighth place and elevated them third on the Tiger top-ten list. In the process, O'Connell lowered her fourth individual school record with her lead-off time of 56.20. That marks a total of ten out of a possible eighteen individual school records for O'Connell.
(Buffalo, NY)The 2016-17 swimming season came to a close this week at the Burt Flickinger Aquatic Center in Buffalo, NY. Eight of the ten Tigers competing at Nationals scored points for FIT, as eight school records were toppled in the process.
Day 1
Action began with the 50 breaststroke. Two Tigers, Veronika Vira and Franja Aguirre-Sierra, took to the blocks, with both posting lifetime bests. Vira swam a 37.38 to finish 14th overall, securing the fourth fastest time ever at FIT. Aguirre-Sierra followed with a tremendous two-and-a-half-second improvement, lowering his time to 34.17 and ranking him eighth all-time at FIT.
Alexa Landis and Jordan Gifford competed side by side moments later in the 1000 freestyle. The distance swimmers finished 15th and 16th, respectively, clocking 12:34.56 and 12:38.12. Landis now ranks fifth all-time at FIT in the event, with Gifford one spot behind her.
The first school record of the meet fell-twice-in the following event, the 200 IM. Maggie (Margaret O'Connell) chopped three seconds off her own record from Districts with a 2:20.20 during the prelims. She shaved another .07 seconds off the new record in finals, finishing 12th. Cassandra Fotos, meanwhile, knocked her season best time down another seven seconds with her 19th place 2:34.92. That time lands her seventh all-time at FIT.
In the 50 freestyle, Courtney Yanzsa, Vira, Natalia Loren Bello, and Myles Gala all stepped up for the deepest event of the meet. The women posted times of 27.89 (23rd), 29.89 (28th), and 29.99 (29th), respectively, while Gala raced to a 23.64 to finish 27th on the men's side. Gala now ranks fourth on the FIT top-ten list.
Rounding out the day's events was the 200 medley relay. Fotos, Vira, Landis, and Bello teamed up to take 11th in a time of 2:11.92, good enough for seventh all-time at FIT, while Fotos' lead off leg of 31.89 earned her the fifth fastest time in the 50 backstroke on the school top-ten list.
Day 2
The second day of competition got underway with the foursome of O'Connell, Sam Cole, Fotos, and Yanzsa clocking the second fastest time ever at FIT in the 200 freestyle relay. Their 1:50.69 came within half a second of the school standard and earned them a ninth place finish overall.
Fotos returned in the following event to capture 13th in the 50 backstroke. She hit the wall in her top time of the season, 31.32, and in the process moved to fourth all-time at FIT. Finishing just outside the top 16 in the prelims, Bello punched a best time of 35.29, good enough for 17th.
Both swimmers in the 400 IM advanced to the consolation final. O'Connell garnered the highest individual finish of the meet so far with her win in the B heat to take ninth in 5:09.19. That time ranks her second fastest in school history. Two lanes over, Landis dropped another nine seconds from her best, touching in 5:38.59 to for 12th. She climbs the school top-ten list to seventh.
Gala easily broke his own school record in the following event, the men's 100 butterfly. His 17th place prelim time was a near two-second season drop, bringing the new record down to 54.84. Gala also lowered the 50 butterfly record in the same swim with his split of 25.85.
Yanzsa, Gifford, and Cole represented the Tigers in the 200 freestyle. Yanzsa advanced to finals where she finished 16th overall with her fastest time of the season. Her 2:11.75 lifts her to fifth all-time at FIT. Gifford cracked the 2:20 barrier for the first time in her career, racing to 2:19.91, while Cole posted a 2:25.66, good enough for 19th and 20th, respectively.
In the final event of the day, the 400 medley relay, Fotos, Vira, O'Connell, and Yanzsa teamed up to take seventh place with a time of 4:37.02, catapulting them to third all-time at FIT.
Day 3
The first event of the day was the 100 IM. Cole finished 16th on the women's side after clocking a 1:14.70 in prelims. Gala finished 11th for the men in 58.71, shy of his 58.18 from the morning, which marked his third school record of the meet.
Landis, Yanzsa, and Gifford represented the Tigers in the following event, the 500 freestyle. Each of the three women raced to season bests of 6:01.68 (16th), 6:02.30 (17th), and 6:07.25 (20th), respectively. Those times elevate them to seventh, eighth, and ninth all-time at FIT.
Fotos was next in the water racing the women's 100 backstroke. She finished 19th in 1:08.47, her best of the season excluding her 1:08.22 lead-off leg on the medley relay the day before.
Both Vira and Aguirre-Sierra claimed significant improvements in the 100 breaststroke. Vira touched in a 1:22.67, nearly a three-second drop that landed her 17th overall and fourth on the top-ten list at FIT. Aguirre-Sierra followed with the same margin of progress by stopping the clock in 1:15.88 for 20th place and the eighth best time at FIT.
O'Connell continued her attack on the record books. She became just the third swimmer ever at FIT to qualify for the A final of an individual event at Nationals. With her eighth place finish in the 200 butterfly, O'Connell broke the school record in both prelims and finals, ultimately etching a 2:25.03.
O'Connell returned 45 minutes later to lead Landis, Gifford, and Yanzsa in the 800 freestyle relay. The four women crafted their most impressive swim of the season by obliterating the school record by over ten seconds. Their time of 8:53.74 placed them eighth. O'Connell's lead-off swim of 2:05.21 was also the second fastest individual 200 freestyle in school history.
Day 4
Landis and Gifford were back at in the 1650 freestyle, again swimming side by side. This time the race came down to the final stroke, as Landis snuck in ahead of Gifford 21:06.44 to 21:06.46. The women finished 14th and 15th, respectively, and moved to fifth and sixth all-time at FIT.
In the 100 freestyle, Yanzsa just missed the sub-1:00 mark as she registered a 1:00.02 for 19th. That time positions her seventh on the top-ten list in the event. Cole hit the wall a 1:06.33, placing 24th overall. Gala, on the men's side, dropped down to a 51.33, finishing 22nd overall and moving him to third all-time at FIT.
O'Connell and Fotos saved their best for last in the women's 200 backstroke. The women each lowered their best times, garnering seventh and 12th overall. O'Connell's time of 2:17.60 marks yet another school record for the freshman, while Fotos' 2:25.42 ranks her third all-time at FIT.
The final individual event of the meet, the 200 breaststroke, saw more lifetime bests from Vira and Aguirre-Sierra. Vira hit a mark of 3:04.09, putting her 17th, just one spot outside of scoring. She now stands fourth on the school charts in that event. Aguirre-Sierra turned in a 100 split that outpaced his 100 time from the day before, turning at 1:15.54 and finishing in 2:40.71 for 18th. That time moves him up to fifth at FIT.
The meet concluded with the 400 freestyle relay team of O'Connell, Cole, Fotos, and Yanzsa taking home the school's final medal of the week. Their time of 4:03.54 was good enough for eighth place and elevated them third on the Tiger top-ten list. In the process, O'Connell lowered her fourth individual school record with her lead-off time of 56.20. That marks a total of ten out of a possible eighteen individual school records for O'Connell.