Swimming cruises past California (Pa.) in away meet

Saturday, January 31

California, PA

1:00 PM

Millersville University

161

California (PA)

Swimming cruises past California (Pa.) in away meet

1/31/2026 4:24:00 PM | Women's Swimming

By: Bailey Smith, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

CALIFORNIA, Pa. - The Millersville University women's swimming team cruised past the Vulcans of California (Pa.) University with a dominant 161–81 victory in the pool. The Marauders picked up ten first place finishes and seven second place finishes.

After last week's false start in the 200-yard medley relay, the Marauders Team A—Abigail Lowman, Leah Eckert, Violet Pizzillo, and Anna Sassaman— bounced back and claimed first place with a time of 1:52.95. Millersville's Team B, made up of Madison Taylor, Kiersten Zecchin, Kate Pelagatti, and Izabella Wreski, followed with a third-place finish in 2:00.61.

Hannah Baumgardner and Claire Weaver swept the top two spots in the 1650-yard freestyle, highlighted by Baumgardner's time of 17:52.43, which ranks third on Millersville's all-time top ten list. Wreski and Sassaman added another one-two finish in the 200-yard freestyle, while Lowman, Taylor, and Pelagatti dominated the 50-yard backstroke by sweeping the top three positions.

Eckert continued the Marauders' momentum with a win in the 50-yard breaststroke, touching in at 31.72, followed by Zecchin and Pizzillo in third and fourth. In the 100-yard butterfly, Sara Blitva earned second place with a time of 1:02.28, before Sassaman captured first in the 100-yard freestyle with a 56.23.

Lowman and Weaver recorded the top two finishes in the 200-yard backstroke, and Eckert secured her second individual victory of the meet by winning the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:28.76. Sassaman, Blitva, and Jillian Fidelman placed second through fourth in the 50-yard freestyle, while Wreski and Anna Burrowes went one-two in the 100-yard IM.

The meet concluded with a strong showing in the 200-yard freestyle relay, as the quartet of Blitva, Weaver, Baumgardner, and Eckert finished first with a time of 1:44.44.

"This afternoon was really fun to see the team get up and race hard," said head coach Evan Anthony. "Coming off the bus from a longer road trip, they did a really great job mentally and physically preparing themselves for the meet. Swimming against Cal U is always a fun and high energy meet which historically has led to fast swimming which we saw again today. We are in a great position heading into the final three-week stretch of the season and I am excited to see all the hard work pay off at PSAC's."

The Marauders are back in the water February 7 when they host the Diplomats from Franklin and Marshall College in a "last chance meet" before traveling to the PSAC Championships in York, Pa. on February 18 through the 21.