George Washington University
Atlantic 10 Championships
Swimming & Diving Ready for A-10 Championships
2/15/2022 12:51:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
Buff & Blue aim to build on recent success at conference meet
GW swimming and diving heads to the Atlantic 10 Championships this week, looking to grow its impressive hardware collection. The conference meet runs Wednesday through Saturday at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. All sessions are set to be broadcast via ESPN+.
Under the direction of Head Coach Brian Thomas, the program will try to build off its recent success at the A-10 Championships, boosted by a strong contingent of proven veterans on both sides. The men aim to earn a repeat title and their fifth crown in six years, while the women are seeking their second title in three seasons following a breakthrough win in 2020.
Huge opportunity ahead! ??
— GW Swimming & Diving (@GWSwimDive) February 15, 2022
Hear from @GWCoachBThom, Durde Matic and Isabel Berdecio before the A-10 Championships.#RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/PrZeKHevkO
A LOOK BACK: Last April, the GW men returned to their familiar spot atop the A-10 standings. Paced by Most Outstanding Performer Karol Mlynarczyk, the Buff and Blue left no doubt, showcasing their quality and depth throughout the lineup by piling up 21 medals, including 14 golds, while setting four conference and seven program records.
The women placed fourth in the team standings in 2021, led by 1,650 free champion Erin McCarthy. Marlee Rickert and Jamie Doak also landed medals at the meet.
BACK FOR MORE: Mlynarczyk made quite a splash in his debut at the A-10 meet, joining GW Athletics Hall of Famer David Zenk on the exclusive list to sweep both Most Outstanding Performer and Most Outstanding Rookie Performer awards.
The Warsaw, Poland, native won six gold medals at the meet, including individual wins in the 100 back, 200 back and 100 fly. His 100 back time of 46.03 seconds as part of the 400 medley relay would've been good enough to earn an invitation to the NCAA Championship if it had come earlier on the calendar, and he also set program records in the 50 free (:19.96) and 100 free (:43.66) as part of relay victories.
One of 10 returning All-Conference performers for the Buff and Blue across both teams, Mlynarczyk enters the meet with the A-10's top time this season in the 100 back (:46.62) and ranked No. 2 in the 200 back (1:46.23) behind only teammate Marek Osina (1:43.84).
MATIC'S MAGIC: Durde Matic will look to build on what's already been a tremendous debut season in Buff and Blue.
At Princeton's Big Al Invitational in December, the ECU transfer shattered Andrea Bolognesi's A-10 record in the 100 fly with a time of 45.72 seconds that puts him in strong contention for an NCAA bid at No. 17 nationally. Six days later, he made headlines again when he clocked a pool record in the event (:46.14) at Navy's Lejeune Hall that had been held by Olympic legend Michael Phelps.
Matic has been named A-10 Performer of the Week three times this season.
RECORD BREAKERS: Including Matic's record 100 fly swim, the Buff and Blue have set six total program marks already this season.
At the midseason meet, Matic teamed with Mlynarczyk, Osina and Tyler Kawakami to take down A-10 records in the 200 medley relay (1:26.91) and 400 medley relay (3:09.40).
The women's diving record book has been overhauled with Doak and Dara Reyblat doing the honors. On Nov. 5 at Pittsburgh, Doak posted a 1-meter score of 279.23 to eclipse a program record that had been held by Lynne McCormick since 2001. At that meet, she also set the program's platform record, which was later eclipsed by Reyblat with a 213.83 on Dec. 10 at Navy.
ERIN'S ASCENT: McCarthy put together a breakout performance at last season's A-10 meet, highlighted by her win in the 1,650 free in 16:40.68, which ranks fourth on the program's all-time list. In a testament to her continued improvement, the senior from Minnetonka, Minn., also secured bronze in the 500 free (4:51.14) and qualified for the A final of the 200 free (1:49.82) with career-best times.
McCarthy enters the meet with the A-10's top times in the 500 free (4:53.13) and 1,650 free (16:50.22) this season.
FABULOUS FIRST-YEARS: A midseason addition to the program, Barbara Schaal shined in her collegiate debut at the Cavalier Invitational earlier this month, registering a pair of swims that rank among the program's all-time top 10. The newcomer from Heidelberg, Germany posted a 100 back time of 54.81 seconds that ranks No. 2 in program history and a 100 fly time of 55.60 seconds that checks in at No. 7 all-time. Both performances were the fastest for the program this season and rank among the top five in the conference.
In recognition of that excellence, Schaal became the sixth different Buff and Blue first-year to be named A-10 Rookie Performer of the Week, joining Reyblat, Bode Ringenbach, Connor Rodgers, Molly Smyers and Philip Moldovanu.
Rodgers and Julia Knox both claimed A-10 Performer of the Week awards, as well.
Together, GW's rookies have combined for 17 new additions to the program's all-time top 10 swimming lists, plus Reyblat's platform diving record, as they prepare for their first trip to the conference meet.
A Craigavon, Northern Ireland native, Knox is responsible for four of them with entries in the 200 breast (2:17.82), 200 fly (2:03.49), 200 IM (2:02.32) and 400 IM (4:23.79).
