Women's Swimming | 11/3/2023 10:37:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Huskies outlasted the Fighting Scots of Edinboro in route to a 109.5-94.5 win for the women and a 133-70 win for the men.

Heading to Edinboro is no easy feat. The Huskies endured a near four-hour bus ride from Bloomsburg before hopping straight into the pool. You would think this would put a kink into their systems, but the Huskies never wavered.

Both the men and women used the 200-yard medley relay to set the tone of the meet. The medley relay of Gabi Walsh (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown), Julia Reigel, Grace McBlain (Aldan, Pa./Monsignor Bonner), and Rylee Wenzel (West Lawn, Pa./Wilson) would have to fight tooth and nail to edge out Edinboro's A-Relay. The relay came down to the final leg where Wenzel just out-touched Edinboro by one-third of a second. The boys followed suit, winning the 200 Medley Relay by just over a second.

Up next came the grand ol' mile swim. It takes heart to swim back and forth for 66 lengths of the pool. Not only did our swimmers put their hearts on the line, but they also did it in convincing fashion. Maddie Osantisch and Ella Dittmar (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) would go 1-2 for the women, and Matthew Boehme and Michael Huegel (Springfield, Pa./Spriingfield) would repeat the same outcome for the men. With his performance tonight, Matthew Boehme now sits #6 All-Time for Bloomsburg in the 1650-Yard Freestyle.

In the events following, we would see Edinboro take the women's 200 Free, 50 Free, and 200 IM. On the men's side Edinboro would take the 50 Free, but Nick Zaffiro (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) and Tony Goulstone (Hazelton, Pa./Hazelton) would go on to win the 200 Free and 200 IM, respectively. For the 200 IM, Goulstone would be followed by Ethan Coffman (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) and Sean Witmer (Millmont, Pa./Mifflinburg) who would take second and third place in the event.

The women followed in their footsteps in the 100 butterfly where Wenzel, and sophomore Katie Eisenhofer (Reading, Pa./Schuylkill Valley) took first and second in the event. Wenzel went 58.97 and Eisenhofer finished with a time of 1:00.53. Pending meet results from other PSAC Schools from the weekend, Wenzel now ranks #3 in the PSAC for the 100 butterfly.

In a few heats later, Jack Drake (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg Area) went on to win the 100-yard freestyle in convincing fashion. Swimming to a time of 46.21, which also puts him third in the PSAC currently.

Soon after Osanitsch reentered the pool for the 500 Free going a season best 5:19.81 winning the event. The big moment of the race came between two of Edinboro's swimmers and Ella Dittmar (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley). They duked it out in the last 50 yards where Edinboro's Della Toffalo came in second with a 5:27.50, but Dittmar tied Edinboro's Schrecongost for third with a 5:27.51. The difference between second and (what would be) fourth was decided by a fingernail.

We didn't have to wait long for another nail-biter. Julia Reigel edged-out Edinboro's Ross for the first place finish winning by only three-tenths of a second. For the men's 100-yard breaststroke, Tanner Glatfelter (Dover, Pa./Dover) and Blake Nesbitt (Wind Gap, Pa./Nazareth) took first and second places in the event. In doing so, Glatfelter hit his first sub-minute 100-yard breast time from a flat start.

At this point in the meet, the men had the win secured, but it came down to this last relay to decide who would win it for the women. Heading into the 400-yard freestyle relay, the women were only up by ten points. The score was 98.5-88.5. Edinboro needed to secure first and second to win the meet. The relay of Osanitsch, Wenzel, Morgan Holmes (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway), and Sarah Pickel (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) would not let that happen. The women captured the win in the event by over nine seconds securing the meet victory for the team.

The Huskies advanced to 2-1 on the season after tonight's matchup against Edinboro. Next Friday, the Huskies are on the road again where they will travel down I-80 to face the Golden Eagles of Clarion.