Lewisburg, Pa. –
Oliver Gassmann continued to shine in championship-like conditions, as the junior won three individual events to lead a strong UMBC effort in the Bucknell Invitational.
On day one, Gassmann sprinted to victory in the 50 freestyle, touching the wall in 20.12. He followed up on Saturday, posting a victory in the 100 butterfly and setting a personal record at 46.30. The 2023 America East Swimmer of the Meet capped his effort by holding off Avery Clapp of Hopkins and winning the 200 yard butterfly in a time of 1;45.42.
To cap Friday's opening day of competition, the 400-medley relay team of JJ Chapman,
Zach Deal, Gassmann and
Bode Neale capture the race. The quartet posted a time of 3:16.29 and held off Johns Hopkins and Fordham to earn the gold.
There was only a difference of 186 points between champion Bucknell and fifth-place Johns Hopkins. UMBC came in third, besting Fordham, Hopkins and Bloomsburg.
"We reminded ourselves who we are this weekend," said Head Coach
Matt Donovan. "We've put in a lot of work so far this season and it's nice to see it pay off. There is still plenty of work to do, but we made a great statement about who we are in these last three days".
NOTES
- Freshman Andy Vines places second in 1-meter diving with a score of 280.90. He was seeded sixth after the preliminary round. Sophomore Anders Logas, returning from injury, made his season debut and placed sixth with 240.80 points.
- JJ Chapman earns a fourth place finish in the 200 individual medley, posting a mark of 1:50.53.
- The 200 yard medley relay team of Max Casey-Bolanos, Deal, Gassmann and Coleman opened Saturday's evening action with a second-place finish, edged by Fordham by 0.32 seconds.
- Junior Christian Coleman finished fifth in the 100 yard breaststroke (55.73).
- Freshman Nick Bracall placed fifth in the grueling 1650 yard freestyle (16:04.12), rallying past three swimmers in the back half of the race to earn 25 points for UMBC.
- Chapman got the medal stand by earning third place in the 200 yard backstroke. He touched the wall in 1:49.94, while Bracall came right back after the 1650 and finished sixth.
- Coleman earned bronze in the 100 yard freestyle, posting a time of 44.84.
- Logas excelled on the 3-meter board, amassing a score of 294.20 to finish third. Vines was just behind in fifth place at 276.70.
- The 400 freestyle relay squad of Gassmann, Michael Dressler, Coleman and Neale earned silver, finishing in a time of 2:58.72.
UMBC will not compete until their Senior Day Meet versus Salisbury University and Frostburg State University on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 1:00 p.m. The team will train in Florida in early January prior to resuming their intercollegiate schedule.
