Courtesy: Army Athletics
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For the first time this season, the Army West Point swimming & diving team has taken home all four weekly Patriot League honors, as put out in an announcement by the conference office on Tuesday afternoon. The duo of Evan Yoo and Daniel Alaimo captured Male Swimmer and Diver of the Week, while Meghan Cole and Minh Donnell collected Women’s Swimmer and Diver of the Week nods.
The recognition comes on the heels of an exciting weekend for the Black Knights, as they split their Patriot League opener on the road at Bucknell. The men’s team (4-3, 1-1 PL) earned a dominant 206-92 win, while the women (3-6, 0-2 PL) fell 183-117.
“This is a great way start to the second half of the season,” head coach Brandt Nigro said. “Our team trained hard and stayed focused over the past month and it showed in these performances. There’s still work to be done but I’m proud of how our team has kicked off the final stretch as we head into the Patriot League Championship.”
Both Yoo and Alaimo posted a pair of first-place finishes during the defeat of the Bison. Alaimo came away with victories on both the 1M (322.05) and 3M (326.25) boards while leading the Cadets to a sweep of the 1-meter event. Yoo touched the wall first in the 200 Breast (1:59.36) and then repeated his winning effort in the 400 IM (3:57.53). The freshman additionally swam a personal best in the 1000 Free (9:29.25) en route to placing second.
On the women’s side, the rookie duo of Cole and Donnell led the Black Knights with six combined scoring finishes. Cole picked up a pair of individual triumphs in the 50 Free (23.80) and 100 Fly (56.59) while also helping the Cadets score in the 200 Free Relay (first, 1:36.07) and the 200 Medley Relay (fourth, 1:48.36). On the boards, Donnell captured both the 1M (265.65) and 3M events (267.90) to help Army secure key points.
Yoo, Alaimo and the rest of the men’s team are preparing to take on in-state foe Columbia this Friday, Jan. 21 at Crandall Pool. The meet against the Lions is set for a 5 p.m. start. Following that contest, both programs will host Lehigh on Friday, Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. The action against the Mountain Hawks will serve as the team’s senior night, where Nigro and his staff will honor the 11-member senior class.
MALE SWIMMER OF THE WEEK: Evan Yoo, Army West Point, Fr., Redondo Beach, Calif.
FEMALE SWIMMER OF THE WEEK: Meghan Cole, Army West Point, Fr., Frederick, Md.
MALE DIVER OF THE WEEK: Daniel Alaimo, Army West Point, Sr., West Nyack, N.Y.
FEMALE DIVER OF THE WEEK: Minh Donnell, Army West Point, Fr., Annandale, Va.
Honorable Mentions
- Mimi Watts, American, So., Raleigh, N.C.
- Emily Balicanta, Boston University, Sr., Pleasanton, Calif.
- Sezin Eligul, Boston University, Sr., Istanbul, Turkey
- Liam Pitt, Bucknell, Sr., West Chester, Pa.
- Maddie Hartigan, Bucknell, Sr., Pelham Manor, N.Y.
- Max Verheyen, Loyola Maryland, Jr., Baltimore, Md.
Go Evan!! #bcsfamily