BUFFALO, N.Y. - Freshman Lance Neuendorf made his first final of his collegiate career, placing fifth in the 100 backstroke, to lead the Manhattan men during day two of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships. Meanwhile, Brianne Grant broke a decade old record for the women, earning a spot in the consolation finals in the 100 breast.
The day began with ten different Jaspers earning spots in either the finals or consolation finals. Neuendorf finished 16th in the prelims of the 100 butterfly, while earning the number two seed in the back. PJ Sweeney was 11th in the 400 Individual Medley while Robert Varieur earned the 12th spot in the 200 freestyle event. Mike Mackay was the only other men's swimmer to make the finals, finishing seventh in 100 breaststroke prelims while Cullen Balcanoff was 13th in the 100 back. Dallan Treanor and Dennis Daly each earned a place in the consolation finals in the 100 breast.
In the finals, Sweeney placed 12th in the IM with a time of 4:13.50 seconds while Neuendorf took 16th in the 100 fly and fifth in the 100 back with a time of 51.36 seconds after breaking his own school mark in the event with 51.09 second finish in the prelims. Balcanoff finished in a dead tie for 12th in that event with a time of 52.89 seconds, the same as Niagara's Jason Ellis. Varieur would finish 14th in his event, the 200 free, finishing the finals with a time of 1:44.28 seconds.
The three Jaspers to make the finals in the 100 breast saw Mackay place eighth with a time of 57.62 seconds, just behind the school record of 57.29 seconds he set in the prelims, followed by Treanor (10th-58.14 seconds) and Daly (13th-58.53 seconds). Neuendorf, Mackay, Sweeney, and Varieur would team up in the 200 medley relay for a school record time of 1:34.62 seconds placing seventh.
For the women, Grant started off the best possible way breaking a record that was almost 10 years old. In the prelims of the 100 breast, she swam a time of 1:10.07 seconds, breaking Courtney Arduini's record of 1:11.59 set in 2003. She then lowered that mark again in the finals, placing 15th, with a time of 1:09.66 seconds.
Kerry Schuermann also had a big day for the Jaspers in the 100 fly. Though she didn't capture the program record, Schuermann did place 13th in the event swimming a time of 59.94 seconds. She also led of the 200 medly relay team joining Grant, Paige Raccioppi and Vanessa L'Heureux to break the program record in the event with a time of 1:54.07 seconds in the finals.
After two days of action, the men sit in eight place with 151 points while the women are in 10th with 62. Competition resumes on Saturday at 10 a.m. from the Burt Flickinger Center on the campus of Erie Community College.
