NEW YORK – After registering conference-best times in nine events combined, including an NCAA qualifying time, Xavier’s Michael Pettinichi and Caroline Gaertner collect both the BIG EAST Male and Female Swimming Athletes of the Week.
BIG EAST Male Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week
Michael Pettinichi, Xavier, So.
The reigning BIG EAST Champion in the 100 breast and 200 breast posted the top two times in the conference this season at the CSU Magnus Cup over the weekend. Pettinichi placed third in the 100 breast with a time of 55.45, just .06 off the NCAA B-Cut standard of 55.39. He then followed with the top BIG EAST time in the 200 breast, 2:01.15, competing in the B-Final, a mark that broke his own school record set at last year’s BIG EAST Championship. The sophomore concluded his individual events with a conference-best and second-place finish in the meet in the 50 breast with a time of 25.66. He was also part of a pair of relays that set the top times among BIG EAST competitors over the weekend, the 200 free relay which finished in 1:22.86 and the 200 medley relay that finished in 1:29.92.
BIG EAST Women's Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week
Caroline Gaertner, Xavier, So.
The sophomore came away from the CSU Magnus Cup with a hand in five new school records. In the 100 back, Gaertner became only the second Musketeer in program history to post an NCAA B-Cut time (joining junior Paxtyn Drew) with her time of 55.00 in the 100 back, setting a new school record and the top time in the conference this year. Gaertner also set a new high mark in program history in the 50 free, touching the wall in 23.32 to take third and finished second in the 50 fly with a time of 25.01 and third in the 200 back with a time of 2:00.56. Gaertner also helped the Musketeers set a pair of relay records anchoring the 200 free relay (1:33.17), the fly leg of the 400 medley relay (3:47.32) and the 200 medley relay that set the top time in the BIG EAST this year at 1:42.72.
Notable Performances
Katherine Fallon, Providence, Jr.
Junior Katherine Fallon (Warren, N.J.) tallied two individual first-place finishes at the Harold Anderson Invite. She was first to the wall in the 200-yard freestyle with her 1:53.45 finish. The junior also bested the field in the 500-yard freestyle, finishing in 5:03.67
Patrick Brannigan, Providence, Fr.
The rookie placed first in the 100-yard freestyle at the Harold Anderson Invite, finishing in 46.91 while placing second in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.81. He also grabbed first place in all three relays he participated in: the 400-yard medley relay (3:28.61), the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:26.81), and the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:10.64).
Dakota Williams, Seton Hall, So.
The sophomore swam a school-record 45.28 in the 100-yard freestyle race and anchored the winning 200 medley relay team (1:31.68) and second-place 400 medley relay quartet (3:20.83) at the Patriot Invitational hosted by George Mason this weekend.
Sara Ouellette, Seton Hall, Fr.
Ouellette registered a school-record 2:00.87 in the 200-yard backstroke to lead the Pirates at the Patriot Invitational hosted by George Mason this weekend.
Alexa Fabbri, Villanova, So.
Fabbri helped the Wildcats take fourth place at the Hokie Fall Invitational with a personal-best and league-best time of 23.11 in the 50-yard freestyle. She also took third in the 200-yard freestyle, touching the wall in a personal-best time of 1:48.09 and fourth in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 50.55. The sophomore was also part of the 200-yard freestyle (1:33.14), 400-yard freestyle (3:23.67), and 800-yard freestyle relay (7:27.65) teams.
Jake Hoin, Villanova, Jr.
The junior recorded a conference-best time in the 100-yard butterfly with a finish of 48.81. He also took sixth place in the 100-yard freestyle, touching the wall at 45.67 and was a member of the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:23.32), 200-yard medley relay (1:32.25), 400-yard freestyle relay (3:05.23), and the 800-yard freestyle relay (6:52.78) teams.