EAST MEADOW, N.Y. –
Nolan Danus and
Ethan Brown logged bronze medal-earning performances in Friday night's finals as Villanova men's swimming and diving remained at third through the third day of the conference championships.
The 'Cats have stayed in third since the first day of competition, now holding 399.5 points through 28 events. Of the 183 points that Villanova accumulated on Friday, 32 came from the combo of Danus and Brown. Through three days, the Wildcats have won five medals: one gold, two silver and two bronze.
Danus notched the eighth-fastest 400 IM time in Villanova history with a 3:57.18 in the morning prelim that was good enough for sixth-place to secure a spot in the evening's A-final. He smashed his personal best with the bronze performance by nearly five seconds, clocking a 3:52.99 that was good enough for the fourth-fastest time in team history.
Brown also reset his personal best in the 100 Back with a 49.37 time that was good enough for third in the prelims, sending him to the Championship final. Later in the evening, he bested himself yet again, logging a 48.79 that sits as Villanova's ninth-fastest time.
In the 100 Fly prelims,
Jesse Marsh and
Kevin Geist turned in personal best times of 48.94 and 49.18 to head into the A-Finals in third and fifth, respectively. Those times moved the pair into fifth and seventh on the Villanova all-time performance lists. In the evening, Marsh touched the wall fourth (49.14) with Geist following in seventh (49.31).
The 200 Free prelims brought three new personal bests.
Reid Hutcherson and
Charlie Hinckley went fourth and fifth to record the second and fifth-fastest times in Villanova history at 1:38.66 and 1:38.98, respectively. Hutcherson finished fourth in the final with a time of 1:38.77 while Hinckley took seventh at 1:39.68
Jake McIntyre went 1:39.85 for a spot in the consolation final at 10
th. There, he won the B-final with a time of 1:39.98.
Andrew Mitchill demolished his 100 Breast personal best with an eighth-place 56.56 that made him the fifth-fastest performer in team history. In the A-Final, he reset that personal best with a fifth-place 55.58, the sixth-fastest time in Villanova history.
The men's 400 Medley team of Brown, Mitchill, Marsh and
Patrick Hemingway finished fourth with the program's sixth-fastest time of 3:19.42.
The Championships comes to a close on Saturday with prelims at 10 a.m. for the 200 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke and 200 Butterfly along with 3 Meter Diving at noon. Finals at 5:45 p.m. will also include the 1650 Freestyle and the 400 Freestyle Relay.
