CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Florida Tech men's and women's swimming team continued competition at the Fall Frenzy hosted by Queens University on Saturday afternoon with Day Three.
 
WOMEN'S EVENTS:
 
Women's 200 Medley Relay:
The Panthers' first relay performance of the day came in the 200 Medley Relay with the group of Melissa Zucco, Rae Ann Dressel, Christina Ramirez, and Debora Xavier taking 10th place with a time of 1:43.64 (Zucco: 26.81, Dressel: 27.90, Ramirez: 25.20, Xavier: 23.73).
 
The team of Sonia Peters, Sophia Sichtnik, Sam Bullard, and Kate Helminiak took 15th with a time of 1:45.88 (Peters: 27.17, Sichtnik: 29.28, Bullard: 25.71, Helminiak: 23.72).
 
Women's 100 Butterfly:
Miranda Olhasso and Sam Bullard earned spots in the finals in the 100 Fly. Bullard finished in 23rd (57.12) and Olhasso finished in 31st (58.02).
 
Women's 400 IM:
Two Panthers qualified for the finals in the 400 IM. Abby Briggs finished in 28th place with a time of 4:33.31. Kiery Ceely earned 31st with a time of 4:39.86.
 
Women's 200 Freestyle:
Kate Helminiak set a season best in the 200 Free with a time of 1:52.15 which was good enough for an 11th place finish at the event and qualified her for the NCAA Championships in the Spring.
 
Women's 100 Breaststroke:
Rae Ann Dressel took home ninth place in the 100 Breast with a time of 1:02.98, which tops her previous school record of 1:03.84 set on October 24, 2024, in a dual meet against Florida Southern. Her improved time still qualifies her for Nationals.
 
Women's 100 Backstroke:
Two Panthers earned spots in the 100 Back to round out the individual events for the day. Melissa Zucco turned in an 11th place finish with a time of 56.80 while teammate Christina Ramirez finished in 21st with a time of 57.56.
 
Women's Standings Day Three:

1. Queens – 974
2. Nova Southeastern – 834
3. Duquesne – 779
4. Wingate – 553
5. La Salle – 522
6. James Madison – 472
7. UNC-Ashville – 464
8. Catawba – 262
9. Gardner-Webb – 213
10.  Florida Tech – 211
11. Emmanuel (GA) – 197
12.  UNC-Pembroke – 138
13.  SCAD (GA) – 115

 
MEN'S EVENTS:
 
Men's 200 Medley Relay:
The men's relay team's best performancein the 200 Free Relay, came from the team of Zachary Reese, Dan Kunin, Nathan Scott, and Dylan Ostolaza who posted a combined time of 1:30.86 to earn a ninth place finish (Reese: 23.28, Kunin: 25.21, Scott: 22.19, Ostolaza: 20.18).
 
The quartet of Connor Bryant, Michael Panariello, Jay Jay Fonnotto, and Josh McLean combined for a time of 1:34.06 that saw them finish in 14th place (Bryant: 24.08, Panariello: 27.41, Fonnotto: 22.24, McLean: 20.33).
 
Men's 100 Butterfly:
Three Panthers earned their way to the finals in the 100 Fly. Dan Kunin earned the highest position in 11th with a time of 49.03. Nathan Scott placed 21st (49.53) and Jay Jay Fonnotto finished in 23rd (50.06).
 
Men's 400 IM:
Connor Bryant swam Tech's best time of the day in the 400 IM with a time of 4:06.32 to earn a 20th place finish. Gaspard Thierry finished in 25th (4:13.62), just ahead of teammate Collin Meadows in 26th (4:13.76). Michael Panariello rounded out the Panthers in the finals with a time of 4:24.26 in 31st.
 
Men 200 Freestyle:
Tech's best result of the day overall would be in the 200 Free, where Efe Ongoren's time of 4:24.16 earned him a third-place finish, qualified him for the NCAA Championships in the event, and also set a new school record time in the event.
 
Akos Hajagos qualified for NCAAs in the prelims with a time of 1:39.85. He finished the finals in 15th with a time of 1:40.06.
 
Four more Panthers finished in the finals in the 200 Free, Adam Szczerba in 22nd (1:41.13), Josh McLean in 26th (1:40.96), George Jekov in 27th (1:41.19), and Sebastian Washington in 30th (1:42.05).
 
Men's 100 Breaststroke:
Dan Kunin was Florida Tech's lone competitor in the 100 Breast finals, finishing in 27th with a time of 57.16.
 
Men's 100 Backstroke:
Seven Panthers earned a spot in the finals of the 100 Back. Zachary Reese earned the best time with a fourth-place finish at 49.16. Dylan Ostolaza also turned in a top 10 performance with a time of 49.85 to earn seventh place.
 
Jay Jay Fonnotto finished in 14th with a time of 51.31 followed by Connor Bryant in 21st (51.93), Slater Sabel in 24th (52.84), Gaspard Thierry in 27th (55.54), and Colin Goddard in 30th (55.86).
 
Men's Standings Day One:

1. Queens – 1390
2. Wingate – 947
3. Nova Southeastern – 675.5
4. Catawba – 489
5. Florida Tech – 453
6. Gardner-Webb – 441
7. La Salle – 440.5
8. SCAD (GA) – 371
9. Emmanuel (GA) – 249

 
COACHES CORNER:
"The team did great on the day three," said head coach Tony Marleneanu. "It is a great experience for us to swim against such fast competition. We were able to match that well and make quite a few finals. I am happy with our efforts, and I look forward to having a great final day."
 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will conclude the event with Day Four of the Fall Frenzy tomorrow, Nov. 24. The Panthers will be competing in the 200 Back, the 100 Free, the 200 Breast, the 200 Fly, and the 1650 Free preliminary rounds. The first event is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m., at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center in Charlotte, N.C.


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