By Dominic Rapposelli
Sports Editor
Washington College swimming hit the pool for the final meet of the season in the Centennial Conference Championships. The meet spanned from Feb. 22 through Feb. 25 at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa.
A pair of third place finishers headlined the meet for the Shoremen. Junior Zach Affeldt took home bronze in the 200-yard breaststroke with a 2:02.35 final time. Joining him in the third place club was sophomore Shane Brace, who finished the 200-yard butterfly in 1:53.66.
Additionally, the Shoremen 400-yard individual medley relay team of freshman Nathan Rawa, and juniors Chase Henson, William Schmidt, and Justin Fitzpatrick finished in 3:22.96, just outside of a bronze medal. The quartet however, posted a school record with the time, and the highest placing relay group for WC.
“This relay has been the one consistent relay all year with the same four guys each time in the same order. Our first time out this year we broke the pool record, so to break the team record in the final swim was awesome,” Rawa said.
Henson cracked the top four in another event, finishing the 100-yard backstroke in 56.42. He also helped the 400-yard freestyle relay to a fifth place finish with a final time of 3:08.44.
Rawa also nabbed a sixth place finisher in the 100-yard backstroke in 51.16, moving him into fourth in program history. He continued to put his name in the WC record books with a 1:53.27 finish in the 200-yard backstroke, his time being the third fastest in program history and earning him a ninth place finisher at the meet.
“This year was one of the fastest years for the conference championships, and I’m proud to have been able to final in all three of my individual races,” Rawa said.
For the Shorewomen, junior Kylee Smith clocked a seventh place finish in the 100-yard butterfly with a 57.89 final time, swimming her way to Shorewoman of the week honors. Smith has enjoyed a great season and continued that trend into Conferences.
“I was able to show up day in and day out and put my best into the pool, on good and bad days, and that’s what it’s all about, showing up when you don’t feel like it. What feels like never-ending hours in the pool always prove to pay off at some point. I couldn’t have done it without the group of people that I am grateful to call my team,” Smith said.
Sophomore Lauren Paules put up her own tenth place spot with a 18:25.70 finish in the 1650-yard freestyle.
The seniors for WC swimming — Jay Dadhania, Kenley Hewitt, Kennedy Jones, and Emma Schultz — also competed in their final meet.
The relay team of Paules, Smith, Schultz, and Jones finished fifth in the 200-freestyle relay at 1:38.92.
Dadhania, the lone senior for the Shoremen, finished fifteenth in the 100-yard backstroke with a final time of 58.92.
“Having a last conference [championship] with the other seniors was a special moment. We came to WC in the COVID year…and being able to graduate four years later and see the team we helped create was so special,” Dadhania said. “I am very proud of this team and the men and women they are becoming…They have a ton of potential and can do amazing things.”
Photo Caption: WC’s Kylee Smith was the top individual placer for the Shorewomen, coming in seventh in the 100-yard Butterfly
Photo Courtesy of WC Athletics.