Over the weekend, Penn men’s swimming and diving competed in the Ivy League championships held at Brown. Though it was a less successful outing than some of the Quakers' previous performances, it was a solid weekend overall, as the team finished in sixth place with 879 total points.
2023 was the first year since 2020 that Penn did not finish with a champion in any individual or team relay race in the A, or top, group. In the 400-yard freestyle relay, Penn placed seventh with a time of 2:56.95. In the 1,650 free, junior Kevin Keil, sophomore Michael Foley, and freshman Truman Armstrong finished in 11th, 13th, and 14th place respectively.
The headliner for the Red and Blue was undoubtedly sophomore Matt Fallon. After a first-place finish in the 200 breaststroke race in 2022 as a freshman, Fallon was unable to successfully defend his title — earning a time of 1:53.34 to finish in third. This won’t be the end of the season for the sophomore, though, as he already punched his ticket to Minneapolis for the 2023 NCAA championships in the 200 breast event, which will be held March 22 to 25.
In the same 200 breast race, junior Jason Schreiber finished with a time of 1:55.58, good enough to finish in fourth right behind Fallon. Additionally, senior Mark McCrary finished in fourth in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:44.45.
While the Red and Blue could not secure any titles in the A group, senior Neil Simpson won the B-Final of the 200 breast with a time of 1:55.75, while junior Matt Leblanc finished seventh in the same event. Additionally, freshman James Curreri gave Penn a second title in the B group by winning the 200 backstroke race in the group, with a time of 1:44.17. Other solid finishers in the B group were in the 200 butterfly stroke event, where juniors Andrew Dai and Sam Donchi finished in third and fifth place, respectively.
Although Penn didn’t enjoy the same successes at this year's Ivy League Championships as it did the previous year, for many members of the team, this past weekend was a nice conclusion to their 2022-23 season. The Red and Blue will now turn their attention to supporting Fallon in Minneapolis — hoping they can send a few more members to join him in the races.
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