Sea Gull swim teams sweep at Catholic; men win fourth straight

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Salisbury University men's and women's swim teams hit the road on a snowy Saturday afternoon, traveling to the nation's capital to face off against Catholic University. It was well worth the trip, as the men defeated Catholic 145-58 and the women won 108-97. 

Collectively, the Sea Gulls took first place in 15 of the 23 events. The win marks the mens' fourth-straight victory and improves the Sea Gulls' overall record to 6-4.

On the men's side, the 87-point margin of victory marks the second-highest of the season as the Sea Gulls defeated Goucher College back on Dec. 4 by 92 points. Freshmen Eric Robichaud (Annapolis, Md.) and Paul Zoli (Fallston, Md.) led the maroon and gold with two individual first-place finishes apiece; Robichaud was the top-finisher in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle, while Zoli took first in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle. A slew of second and third-place finishes by Salisbury swimmers, including strong finishes in several relay events, helped to propel the Gulls over the Cardinals.

The women's team also had an impressive day in the pool, led by sophomore Katie Fitzenreiter (Columbia, Md.), who notched two of the team's five first-place finishes. In one of those top finishes, the 1000-yard freestyle, she touched the wall a full 30 seconds before freshman teammate Staci Carbone (Toms River, N.J.), finishing the race in 11:32.24; Carbone finished in 12:03.40, good for second place. That one-two punch, along with several other impressive races, would add to the Sea Gulls' point totals and eventually give them their fifth win of the season. The victory improves Salisbury's overall record to 5-5. 

Today's meet marks the end of Salisbury's regular-season competition. The Sea Gulls' next stop will be the Capital Athletic Conference Championships in St. Mary's City, Md; the three-day event will span from Feb. 12-14.