MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – The Gannon swim teams broke six more school records and recorded another 22 NCAA “B” cut times during the final day of the 2012 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Swimming Championships hosted by Gannon University Sunday at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The strong finish helped the Golden Knights record their best conference finish in school history and the Lady Knights post their best conference finish since 2009.

West Chester swept both the women’s and men’s championships, leading from start to finish throughout the entire weekend. The Golden Rams won the men’s title with 749.50 points, out-distancing second-place Gannon’s 472 points. Edinboro (445), Clarion (439.5), Bloomsburg (377), Indiana (Pa.) (362) and Shippensburg (327) completed the seven-team field.

Two school records fell on the men’s side. Adam Chrzanowski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) was the first to perform the feat, setting a new standard in the 200-yard backstroke. The freshman recorded NCAA “B” cut times during both the prelims and the finals. His finals time of 1:53.81 secured a silver medal and broke the old mark of 1:55.89 set by Michael Piper in 2008-09.

Ethan Chase (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) took down the second school record in the 200-yard butterfly with a second-place timing of 1:52.90 that met NCAA “B” cut standards in the finals. The junior beat Brian Calandra’s previous mark of 1:54.70 set during the 2001-02 season. But it was not the only NCAA “B” cut time recorded in the 200-yard butterfly. Alex Dovale (Cape Town, South Africa/South African College) wasn’t far behind, placing fourth and meeting national standards with a time of one minute and 53.88 seconds.

Gannon secured two more NCAA “B” cut in the 200-yard breaststroke. Logan Bissell (Yorktown, Va./York) was the first Golden Knight to touch the wall, finishing seventh with a time of two minutes and 8.02 seconds. Jared Griffard (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho/Coeur d’Alene) narrowly fell 0.08 second under the national cut with a time of two minutes and 8.39 seconds, good enough for a ninth-place finish.

It was only fitting that the men’s team went out with a bang, capturing the bronze medal in the final event of the night. The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Chrzanowski, Dovale, Nathan Bean (Houston, Texas/Cypress Creek) and Nick Wolhaupter (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) combined for an NCAA “B” cut time of three minutes and 6.52 seconds. In addition, all four swimmers met NCAA “B” standards for the 100-yard freestyle during the relay. Chrzanowski had a 46.59 time; Dovale posted a 46.64 time; Bean produced a 46.45 time; and Wolhaupter had a 46.84 time.

West Chester also took home the team gold on the women’s side with 684 points, easily out-swimming Clarion’s 441 points. California (Pa.) (412), Gannon (336.5) and Indiana (Pa.) (315.5) made up the top five. Edinboro (305), Bloomsburg (287.5), Shippensburg (278), Kutztown (189), Lock Haven (162), Millersville (107), East Stroudsburg (102.5) and Mansfield (32) rounded out the 13-team field.

Gannon recorded at least one NCAA “B” cut time in all six women’s events contested on Sunday and set a school record during four of the events. Christina Ruggiero (Williamsville, N.Y./Buffalo Academy of Sacred Heart) kicked off Sunday’s festivities with a school record in the 1,650-yard freestyle. The junior broke her own record (17:39.97) that she set last season by over two seconds. Her NCAA “B” cut time of 17 minutes and 37.43 seconds secured a seventh-place finish.

Michelle Fischl (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Salem) followed with another school record in the 200-yard backstroke. The true freshman recorded NCAA “B” cut times during both the prelims and the finals. Her finals time of 2:06.11 was the fifth-best time in the race and beat Rachel King’s (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) previous school record of 2:08.56 set last season by over two seconds.

Katie Joseph (McDonald, Ohio/McDonald) continued the roll with a Gannon school record in the third consecutive event during the 100-yard freestyle. Another true freshman, Joseph also had NCAA “B” cut times during both the prelims and finals. Her fourth-place time of 51.72 nipped the previous record of 51.92 set by Jacqueline Rzymek (Erie, Pa./McDowell) last season.

The run of school records hit an amazing four consecutive races when Katie Vincent (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) rewrote the record books in the 200-yard breaststroke. As was the case in the previous two races, Vincent met NCAA “B” cut standards in both the prelims and finals. She finished fifth with a finals time of 2:23.97, but it was her prelims time of 2:22.16 that will remain in the record books. Ironically, she broke the record (2:24.07) that she set herself last season.

The final NCAA “B” cut time recorded during an individual race came during the 200-yard butterfly. Steph Graham (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) completed the race in ninth place with a time of two minutes and 8.85 seconds.

As the men’s squad did, the women’s team capped an unbelievable week with a fine showing during its final event. The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Fischl, Amanda Knapp (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg), Joseph and Kaitlyn Bosy (Courtice, Ontario/Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary) combined to record an NCAA “B” time of three minutes and 31.93 seconds. The time secured a fifth-place finish. In addition, Joseph (51.15) and Bosy (52.64) both posted 100-yard freestyle NCAA “B” cut times during their legs of the relay.

The 2012 PSAC Championships turned out to be a great success for the Gannon swimming programs. In addition to serving as the host for the first time in school history, Gannon swimmers broke 10 school records and recorded 50 NCAA “B” cut times during the week. The NCAA Division II National Championships are scheduled for March 14-17 in Mansfield, Texas.