By NICK CILIBERTO

STAFF WRITER

In Geneva, Ohio this past week at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships, Fordham men’s swimming placed fifth out of seven teams, while the women’s side finished third out of 11 teams. Senior Brienne Ryan led the charge in her final race, winning gold in the 200-yard backstroke, setting a conference and school record.

Richmond won the Atlantic 10 title with 737 points. Massachusetts finished second with 594 points, followed by Fordham with 473. La Salle (442), George Washington (285), Rhode Island (269.5), Duquesne (243.5), St. Bonaventure (215), Saint Louis (185), Xavier (165), and Butler (68) occupied the last 8 spots.

The 1650-yard freestyle event kicked off the championships’ final night. Kara Field, Megan Zarriello and Frances Warren each scored in the event. In the women’s 200-yard backstroke, Brienne Ryan took the spotlight, finishing in a record time of 1:55.79, breaking her own mark of 1:56.11 set in 2011. The time was also an NCAA “B” qualifying mark. With the win, Ryan joined former teammates Courtney Collyer (2009 & 2012), Caitlin Napoli (2009) and Erika Newell (2005) as the only Fordham women swimmers to win two events in one Atlantic 10 Championship.

Other than Ryan, three other Rams made the finals, as Spencer Chappell finished sixth in the “A” final in 2:01.88, Jordan Tomimatsu placed second in the “B” final (10th overall) in 2:02.91 and Theresa Goehring clocked in third in the “B” final (11th overall) in 2:03.32.

In the 100-yard freestyle, Alana Biagioli, Chandler Lulley and Kellie Lyver qualified for the consolation final. Biagioli won the “B” final in 51.55 seconds (ninth overall), while Lulley and Lyver tied for 15th overall in 52.36 seconds.

In the final event of the championship, the Rams 400-yard freestyle relay of Ryan, Lulley, Lyver and Biagiali finished third with a time of 3:24.69.

On the men’s side, the story was quite different. They finished fifth in a pool of seven teams. St. Bonaventure won the Atlantic 10 Championship with 688 points, followed by Massachusetts (613.5), Xavier (519), George Washington (397), Fordham (391.5), Saint Louis (386.5) and La Salle (362.5).

Steve Sholdra was the star of the night for the Rams, winning gold in the 1650-yard freestyle final with an Atlantic 10 and school record time of 15:24.66. The time broke the oldest Atlantic 10 record on the books, (15:34.07 by Ed Denny of West Virginia, set in 1980), as well as the Fordham mark of 15:32.76, set by Paul Smith in 1992. Devon Morris was the only Ram in the 100-yard freestyle “B” final, finishing ninth overall.

Two Rams scored in the 200-yard breaststroke, as Ben Dwyer was seventh in the “A” final in 2:04.10, while Zachary Jacobsen placed fourth in the “B” final (12th overall) in 2:05.85.

The 400 freestyle relay concluded the championship, as Shintaro Noguchi, Patrick Militti, Thomas Yi and Morris finished fifth with a time of 3:02.10.