Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – The Florida Tech women's swimming program wrapped up their weekend competition on Saturday afternoon at Day Two of the Shark Invitational at the NSU Aquatic Center.
The Panthers finished third in the eight-team through the point total of 483.
Tech's first two top ten finishes of the day came in the 500 Free thanks to
Katherine Helminiak (5:09.62) and
Maja Malarz (5:15.80) would earn sixth and seventh place respectively out of 36 competitors, as well as a combined 25 points for the team.
In a highly competitive 100 Back,
Christina Ramirez was the first Panther to the line, earning 11
th place in a 46-swimmer field and 11 points thanks to her time of 59.12.
Torie Whitbeck earned Tech six points thanks to her 1:00.67 time earning her 15
thplace.
Alex Knodel (1:01.29, 17
th) would earn a further four points.
Rae Ann Dressel was the Crimson and Gray's top finisher in the 100 Breast, earning 11
th place and seven points with her 1:08.59 effort. Not far behind was
Casey Holder, who collected 14
th place and four points with her 1:09.59 time.
Sophia Sichtnik was next to the line, garnering 15
th place and three points thanks to a time of 1:09.60.
Freshman
Samantha Bullard took ninth in a 27-competitor field in the 200 Fly thanks to a 2:14.65 that earned Florida Tech 11 points. Shortly thereafter,
Kiera Ceely would nab 11
th place and seven points with a time of 2:15.89.
Helminiak (53.07, fifth) and
Debora Xavier (53.08, sixth) represented Tech well in the 60-swimmer 100 Free field, earning the team a combined 27 points. Malarz capped the Panthers' impressive performance in the event by earning 12
th place and seven points through a time of 53.92.
Whitbeck concluded the individual portion of her day by taking eighth in a 200 Back field that featured 38 swimmers thanks to an effort of 2:09.64 that gave the team another 13 points. Knodel added a further five by taking 15
th with a 2:13.10 time.
Holder (2:32.60, 15
th) and Sichtnik (2:34.59, 18
th) were the top two Panthers in the 200 Breast, earning a comnbined four points.
In relay action, the team of Whitbeck, Dressel, Ramirez and Helminiak finished sixth in the 400 Medley of 24 different teams with a time of 3:56.84, which earned 28 points for the Panthers. The squad of
Miranda Olhasso, Holder, Bullard and Xavier collected 22 points with their 4:02.29 time earning 10
th place.
Tech's top relay finish of the meet would come in the 200 Free through the group of Helminiak, Xavier, Ramirez and Dressel, whose 1:36.18 time earned them second place out of 26 teams and 34 points. The quartet of Holder, Bullard, Malarz and
Harper Powell collected 22 points with their 1:39.73 time earning ninth place.
Up Next:
The Panthers will return to the pool on Friday October 27
th at 1:00 P.M. for a Sunshine State Conference meet at Lynn.
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Florida Tech men's swimming team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
