From Feb. 13– to Feb. 16, Elizabethtown College’s men’s and women’s swim teams swam at the Landmark Championships, a competition they had worked towards for the entire season. Etown came into the competition after strong performances at Juniata College after the women’s team swept the tri-match and the men’s went 1-1, losing to Penn State Altoona.
In the 200-yard medley relay, the women’s teamfemale Blue Jays finished fifth, with a time of one minute and 53 seconds after strong performances by junior Hailey Poulos and senior Gracie Harding led the way. The men’s team came out with a podium finish in the event, finishing third with a time of one minute and 37 seconds, as the team of junior Leif Hoffman, senior Connor Oswald, junior Austin Smith, and senior AJ West edged out the Susquehanna University team by half of a second.
Etown had another great performance in the 800-yard freestyle relay, with the women’s team earning getting their first podium in a third-place finish in the event. The team of Poulos, Harding, sophomore Katie Midura, and senior Liv Hillman combined for a time of eight minutes and seven seconds. The men’s squad finished the event with a fifth-place finish, only behind Susquehanna by a second for the fourth spot. Hoffman, West, senior Josh McQueen, and senior Andy Hoch finished the event with a time of seven minutes and 22 seconds.
Poulos made a strong showing in the 500-yard freestyle after edging out the competition to nab the last spot in the preliminaries and finished sixth overall in the event. McQueen was the top finisherfinished the best for the Blue Jays, missing the cut for the B-Race by less than a second, and ended up finishing 17th in the event. In the 50-yard freestyle, Harding took home the gold, winning the event overall with a time of 24.48 seconds. Harding won the preliminary event, finishing as the top swimmer, and improved her time by 0.04 seconds in the final.
Etown took home another fifth place for the women in the 400-yard medley relay, and the men finished fourth in the event. Poulos shined again for the Blue Jays, finishing third overall in the 400-yard IM with a time of four minutes and 47 seconds, edging out Scranton’s sophomore Meredith Sulman by four-tenths of a second. Senior Robert Midura finished twelfth in the event for the men, putting another strong performance together for the team. West finished sixth for the men in the 100-yard butterfly, capping off a strong season for the senior.
Harding took home another fifth-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke, finishing with a time of one minute and eight seconds. First-year Barron Bishop finished strong in the event, picking up an eighth-place finish in his first Landmark Conference tournament appearance. Hoffman finished third overall in the 100-yard backstroke, finishing with a time of 54.15 seconds, only five-hundredths off of a silver medal. Poulos finished seventh in the women’s 1650-yard freestyle, however, she broke the school record, with a time of 18 minutes and 24 seconds. Hoffman tacked on a silver medal to his total, finishing second overall in the 200-yard backstroke, after finishing third in the preliminaries and improving his time by more than a second. Harding and Hillman finished second and eighth respectively in the 100-yard freestyle. Hoffman finished with a second team and honorable mention for the all-conference teams, with the 200-yard medley relay team gaining an honorable mention for their performance. Harding picked up a first andteam and a second team honors in the 50 and 100 free events, while Poulos added an honorable mention in the 400-yard IM event.
Senior Josh McQueen talked about the team’s performance at Landmarks. stating, “I believe that this was the best team that I have ever been on. These people have pushed me beyond my limits and have pulled me up from the bottom,.” he said
McQueen also highlightedspoke about the leadership of the entire swim team. noting,
“The seniors had a lasting impact on our young roster by being leaders and mentors, helping them whether it be academically or in the pool. I am so glad to have been a part of this team and cannot wait to see where we all end up. Roll Jays!” he said. McQueen has made a lasting impact on the roster and has been a crucial piece for the team over the past four seasons en route toward their success.
Etown Elizabethtown finished the Landmark Championships with a fourth-place finish overall and will swim next in the upcoming season in Fall 2025.
