A-10 Championships Day 2: Ali Tyler Earns Record-Breaking Statement Win

2022 Atlantic 10 Conference Championships

• February 16 to 19, 2022
• Geneva, Ohio (SPIRE Institute)
• Championship Central
• Live Results
• Live Video: WatchESPN
• Fan Guide

The first day of individual races in the 2022 Atlantic 10 Conference Championships kicked off Thursday, which included the debut of standout George Mason Freshman Ali Tyler, who took the 50 free conference title in one of the most anticipated races of the meet.

On Thursday morning in prelims, Tyler obliterated the A-10 conference record in a personal best time of 22.29. She beat out former George Mason swimmer Sydney Fisher’s old record of 22.51, which has stood since the 2016-17 season. She went a tad slower during finals, swimming a 22.32, but it still blew away the rest of the field and was good enough for her to take the title. Tyler’s conference record is an NCAA “B” cut, and is under the time that it took to be invited to NCAAs last year. Tyler is also an Olympic Trials Wave I qualifier, swimming the 100 back and the 200 IM at the meet last summer.

Duquesne’s Mendy De Rooi, who was seeded just 0.03 seconds behind Tyler, took the runner-up finish in the 50 free in a time of 22.72, which is also an NCAA “B” cut. Richmond freshman Abby Fuller was third, swimming a 22.92. After no women in the conference swam under 23 seconds last season, this year’s championship final was much faster, with the top three finishers all underneath that mark.

After two days of racing, George Washington leads by a considerable margin on both the men’s and women’s side of the competition.

Other Women’s Highlights

George Washington went 1-2 in the 500 free, with Erin McCarthy winning the event in a 4:48.47 and Molly Smyers taking second with a time of 4:51.38. Emile Krog was third with a time of 4:52.95. Siena Senn, the defending champion in the event, did not qualify to swim in the A-Final, but won the B final in a time of 4:51.87 that could have placed third in the A-Final. 

Another conference record fell to the hands of Shelby Stanley, who won the 200 IM in a time of 1:57.89 to break Emma Brinton’s old record of 1:58.90 from the 2018-19 season. Stanley was one of the biggest stars of the 2021 championship meet, sweeping the butterfly events, but did not swim the 200 IM last year. Julia Knox of George Washington finished second with a time of 1:59.20, and Ainhoa Martin of Fordham was third with a time of 2:00.47. Maggie Purcell, the defending champion, was pushed down to fifth to finish with a time of 2:00.63.

Richmond nearly had all of their women under 23 seconds in the 200 free relay when Fuller (22.98), Lauren Medlin (22.61), Lucy Yeomans (23.02), and Purcell (22.76) took the title in a time of 1:31.37, their second relay win of the meet. Davidson finished second with a time of 1:31.84, with Stanley swimming a 22.40 during the third leg of the relay, which was the fastest split of the field. George Washington was third with a 1:32.12.

Team Scores After Day One:

1. George Washington- 241
2. Richmond- 197
3. Davidson- 177
4. Duquesne- 165
5. Fordham- 158.5
6. Massachusetts- 126
7. George Mason- 99
8. St. Bonaventure- 95.5
9. La Salle- 76
10. Saint Louis- 71
11. Rhode Island- 42

Men’s Highlights

The George Washington men swept all four of their events on day two, continuing their undefeated streak this meet and grabbing two conference records in the process.

Connor Rodgers won the 500 free in a time of 4:24.11, a new personal best for him. Entering the season, his best time in the event was 4:35.78, which shops a sharp drop in time for him since the start of college. Wilson Dubois of Massachusetts was second in a 4:26.33, while Rodgers’ teammate Phillip Moldovanu swam a 4:28.08 to touch third.

The first men’s conference record of the night was broken by Marek Osina, who defended his title in the 200 IM with a time of 1:44.72 to break his own record of 1:45.18 set last year. George Kalletta of St. Bonaventure finished second with a 1:46.91, and Zachary Wolbert of La Salle took third in a time of 1:46.94.

In a race that was as impressive as the women’s final, Djurdje Matic crushed Michael Pilyugin’s conference record of 19.84 in the 50 free from the 2015-16 season with a time of 19.51. He won the race by nearly half a second, with second-place finisher and Matic’s teammate Tyler Kawakami going a time of 20.03. George Mason’s Will Rastatter was third with a time of 20.23.

George Washington concluded the night when Matic (19.62), Dylan Koo (20.22), Karol Mlynarcyzk (19.86), and Kawakami (19.66) took home a win in the 200 freestyle relay in a time of 1:19.36. George Mason, after having a DQ in the 800 free relay one day one, redeemed themselves to take second in this relay with a time of 1:19.51. St. Bonaventure swam a 1:20.78 to finish third.

Team Scores After Day Two:

1. George Washington- 305
2. St. Bonaventure- 210
3. Massachusetts- 167
4. George Mason- 165
5. Davidson- 141.5
6. La Salle- 118
7. Fordham- 106.5
8. Saint Louis- 83