GRANTHAM, Pa. (January 15, 2022)  – Senior Madie DeJong and first-year Kai Wong each posted individual race victories but the Stevens Institute of Technology women's swimming team fell to Messiah University 172-84 Saturday in a dual meet at the Fredricksen Natatorium. 

Caitlin Ross had three individual race victories to lead Messiah, who moved its dual record to 7-1. It is believed to be the first dual meeting between the programs.

The Ducks claimed eight second-place finishes and seven third-place finishes, but dropped to 1-5 on the year in dual meets. 

"We had a lot of close races go the other way today," head coach Adam Schneider said. "Despite not being at full strength, our team showed great resolve, swimming some of their non-main events and filling in for missing teammates."

DeJong's victory came in the 200 Fly, where the Rochester, Minnesota native touched the wall in 2:25.07. She also swam the 100 Free, reaching the wall in 1:02.01. Wong, meanwhile, won the 50 Free with a time of 26.09 seconds and placed second in the 100 Fly with a time of 1:02.36. Wong's second-place time in the 100 Fly was the seventh-fastest swim in the Middle Atlantic Conference to date.

Wong and sophomore Lauren Smith were the lone Ducks with multiple top-two finishes; Smith posted a pair of season-best times in the 200 (2:05.26) and 500 Free (5:38.90) races to earn second in each event..

Sophomore Gillian Reinhardt and first-year Sophie Patz each claimed one second- and one third-place finish, with Reinhardt finishing behind Wong to finish second in the 50 free before posting a season-best time of 58.47 seconds in the 100 Free to finish third. Patz finished second in the 200 Back with a time of 2:16.85, while placing third in the 100 Breast with a time of 1:12.74.

First-year Olivia Shusta finished third in the 1000 Free (12:04.29) and the 400 IM (5:15.78), senior April Ullrich took second in the 100 Back (1:07.38),  and first-year Melissa Misurelli placed third in the 200 Back (2:17.47) to round out the Ducks top finishes. Misurelli's mark in the 200 Back is the 12th-fastest time in the MAC to date. 

Up Next: Women's swimming heads to Oneonta, New York on Jan. 29 for a dual with former Empire 8 Conference and Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association opponent, Hartwick College. The teams met yearly between the 2010-11 and 2019-20 season with the Ducks coming out ahead in eight of the 10 contests. A link for live video is posted to StevensDucks.com.

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