O'Hara Sets Two School Records, But Women's Swimming Falls to Lehman

O'Hara Sets Two School Records, But Women's Swimming Falls to Lehman

BRONX, N.Y. – Freshman Jillian O'Hara (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) set two new school records in her second collegiate meet, but the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's swimming team fell to Lehman College, 122-85, in their first dual meet of the season at the APEX Aquatic Center on Friday evening.

O'Hara improved two standards set last season by current teammate sophomore Tina Wong (Brooklyn, N.Y./HS of Telecommunications Art and Technology) in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:30.40) and 100-yard butterfly (1:16.77), the fly resulting in a five-second victory, one of four event wins on the evening for the Lady Bears (0-1).

In addition to capturing second with her record-setting breaststroke, the rookie also anchored the 200-yard freestyle relay, out touching the Lightning at the wall for a split-second victory by 23 hundredths of a second in the closest race of the night.

St. Joseph's jumped out to an early lead also winning the opening 200-yard medley relay paced by a 32.16 opening backstroke leg from sophomore Morgan Summers (Bellerose, N.Y./St. Mary's) that gave Wong, Jaclyn Montana (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bay Ridge Prep) and Rebecca Sacerio (Brooklyn, N.Y./Lincoln) a five-second cushion they wouldn't relinquish.

The hosts would take back the lead winning the next three events before Summers won the 200-yard individual medley (2:42.27) to cut the deficit to 47-41, but the Lady Bears could never fully close the gap.

Contributing second-place finishes in the meet were Wong in the 1000-yard free (15:33.07) and 500-yard free (7:41.96), Sacerio in the 200-yard free (2:42.63) and freshman Julia Dineen (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Savior) in the 100-yard backstroke (1:19.77).

St. Joseph's takes  two weeks off from competition before returning to the pool for a double-dual at Cedar Crest College with Cazenovia College on Saturday, November 23rd.