Lyons take second at championships, snap Canisius' routines win streak

PHILADELPHIA, PA- The Wheaton College synchronized swimming team posted its fifth top-two finish in as many meets this winter over the weekend, taking the runner-up spot among eight teams at the combined Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship and East Collegiate Regional in the University of Pennsylvania's Sheerr Pool.

The two-day competition finished on Sunday, as the Lyons totaled 85 points to place behind Canisius College, which has now won 17 straight East Collegiate Regionals and 13 consecutive ECACs. The Golden Griffins notched 101 points, while third-place Penn had 67.

A Wheaton trio pulled off an upset by winning its event after Canisius had been victorious in all 32 routine competitions contested at the ECAC Championship and East Collegiate Regional meets between 2006 and 2009. Senior Jenna Swinkin (Hamden, CT/Hamden), sophomore Christiana Butera (San Diego, CA/Academy of Our Lady of Peace) and freshman Kirsten Wendth (Waterford, NY/Shenendehowa) combined for 81.000 points, edging out a Golden Griffins trio by 0.833 points.

The last time Canisius had failed to win a routine at one of the two regional meets was during the 2005 ECAC Championship, when Wheaton's Sachi Maekawa '08 tied current Lyon head coach Rebecca Story, then a Keuka College swimmer, during solo. Story was also part of a victorious duet that year.  Prior to this year's meet, Canisius won each trio competition it had entered at the prior 16 East Collegiate Regionals and at the last 12 ECAC Championships.

Over the weekend, the Lyons also put a trio in third place, as senior Laura Montes (San Juan, PR/Academia San Jose), sophomore Amanda Chils (Lakeland, FL/George Jenkins) and freshman Christine Dyster (Tempe, AZ/Corona del Sol) collected 76.667 points.

Chils and Wendth notched 75.333 points during a runner-up showing to Canisius in duet, while Montes' 82.167 points and Butera's 81.000 left them third and fourth, respectively, in solo, behind only a pair of Golden Griffins.

During the team routines, the Lyons put together a performance that netted them 81.667 points, which was just 1.750 short of a second-place Canisius team. The Golden Griffins also took first. Swimming the routine for Wheaton were Butera, Chils, Dyster, Montes, Swinkin, Wendth, sophomore Anastasia Hare (Buffalo, NY/Buffalo Seminary) and freshman Elizabeth Watkins (Indianapolis, IN/University High School of Indiana).

In figures, Dyster won the C competition with 63.983 points, edging out the second-place Watkins, who recorded 63.830. During the 22-swimmer B figures portion of the meet, Butera was second at 68.922 and freshman Rebecca Gordon (North Haven, CT/North Haven) took third with 68.606, as they each fell just shy of a Canisius winner's 70.012. Swinkin took seventh at 67.534. Montes notched 76.691 during a fifth-place finish in A, just 0.852 short of third. She was behind four Golden Griffins.

Wheaton breaks until March 11-13, when the Lyons travel to Stanford University for the U.S. Collegiate Championship. The Blue and White has posted 21 consecutive top-10 finishes at the event, including a ninth-place showing a year ago.