BUFFALO, NY– Siena Swimming & Diving's record book was once again re-written at the 2020 MAAC Championships in Buffalo, NY, with the Saints recording their second program best time in three days Friday at the Burt Flickinger Center Pool.
Having already been a part of the Green and Gold's 800-yard freestyle relay team that swam to new heights on Wednesday evening, freshman Jessica Shine etched her name alone in the Saints' records as well, setting and then re-setting a new program mark in the 100-yard butterfly. The Buffalo, NY product placed eighth in the event's preliminary rounds with a time of 57.01, besting Siena Hall of Fame 2019 inductee Brittany Pavolko's previous mark by one hundredth of a second (57.02). Shine would improve her time to 56.75 in the "A" final later in the evening, finishing sixth for her first career All-MAAC honor.
Shine was joined by five other Saints in advancing to a final heat in Friday's action and stood alongside nine others in posting a best time. Overall, the Saints made up ground to remain in eighth place overall (146 points), distancing themselves from Saint Peter's (101 points) and Manhattan (82 points).
The day's action began with senior Carrie Bonvissuto advancing to the "B" final of the 400-yard individual medley with a new best time of 4:41.39. Following Shine's bright performance in the 100 fly, a pair of swimmers moved on and five posted personal bests in the 200 free. Freshmen Reilly King (1:55.54) and Lauren Ostrander each moved on to the MAAC final, while senior Alyssa Lewis (1:59.29), sophomore Sarah Duggan (2:00.75) and freshman Rory Kalac (2:02.36) each went for career bests. King went on to record her second All-MAAC finish of the weekend with a seventh-place output in the "A" final, while Ostrander won the "B" heat to take ninth overall with a new personal best of 1:55.11.
Elsewhere, junior Shannon Leary moved on to a MAAC final for the second straight year, placing 15th in the 100 breast prelim with a personal best time of 1:08.20. Freshman Elisabeth Balicanta set a new personal mark in the 100 back with a time of 1:01.25.
Freshman Lydia DeLano took seventh in the 3-meter diving preliminaries with a score of 184.50, which allowed her to move on to her first career MAAC final and place eighth later in the evening.
Siena will close out competition at the 2020 MAAC Championships on Saturday, February 15, with the final round of preliminary races beginning at 10 AM.
