Banagan Sweeps Diving Events, Owls Fall to Mount Holyoke

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State graduate diver Kara Banagan (Niskayuna, N.Y.) won both diving events as the Owls dropped a 165-111 decision against Mount Holyoke College on Friday night from Ely Pool in Westfield, Mass.

Banagan posted a score of 218.70 in the one meter diving event, outgaining her next closest competitor by 67 points. She also earned a score of 189.67 in the three-meter dive, securing 18 points for the Owls across both events.

Senior Alexa Richter (Westfield, Mass.) also won two individual events for the Owls, placing first in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:04.32. Later in the meet, Richter cruised to a first-place mark in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:35.76. Sophomore Katie Colby (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was second in the 500 freestyle with a mark of 6:03.67 in a tightly contested finish with Mount Holyoke's Rebecca Pursner who was less than a second behind Colby at 6:04.13.

Junior Olivia Harkins (Woburn, Mass.) won a fifth individual event for the Owls, finishing with her second fastest split on the final 50 yards in the 200 IM, touching the wall in a time of 2:32.30. Harkins also turned in second-place tallies in the 100-yard butterfly (1:10.80) and the 100-yard backstroke (1:08.80).

Sophomore Jackie Roccabruna (Pittsfield, Mass.) delivered three second-place marks on the night, the first coming in the 200-yard freestyle (2:09.20) followed by the 50-yard breaststroke (36.74) and the 100-yard freestyle (59.02).

The Owls closed the night by scoring 11 points in the final event of the night with the quartet of Richter, Madison Bombard (Granby, Mass.), Katie Colby (Shrewsbury, Mass.), and Roccabruna finishing in 1:51.27 as part of the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Westfield State will be right back in action tomorrow as the Owls travel to Smith College to face the Pioneers and Elms College at 12:00 P.M.