LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI Swim and Dive program finished the America East Conference Championship the way it started, breaking five more program records as it closed out the 2023-24 season in the VMI Aquatic Center, which played host to the Championship.
The five records on Saturday brings the total to 26 VMI program records (team, individual, rat) that were broken in just the last four days.
Closing it Down
- Matthew Picard, who broke a number of rat records this week, closed out his first year with a team record of 45.49 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle on Saturday, placing 12th and getting VMI five points
- Dalton Cosner was just behind Picard in the 100, with a 46.29 prelim time
- In the 200 backstroke, Sam Castle would clock in at 1:50.28 – a new team/rat record for the Mechanicsville, Virginia native
- Chase Layne and Lane Tucker would finish 10-11 in the 200-yard breaststroke, clocking in at 2:06.19 and 2:06.35, respectively
- In the 200-yard butterfly, Max Brunner had a prelim time of 1:55.43 and a finals time of 1:57.83 to grab a point for VMI
Team Effort
- The Keydets finished strong as a unit, as Picard, Castle, Chino Vera and Sam Castle combined for a new program record in the 400-freestyle relay, closing out the year with a 3:02.17 in that event
- Kate Taylor (Three-Legged Stool winner) and Jillian Maher capped off their respective Keydet careers, teaming up with Noelle Tong and Walden Wilder one last time in the 400-yard freestyle relay, swimming a 3:40.45
- The senior duo also swam prelim times of just over 55 seconds in the 100 free, narrowly missing the finals cut
A Bright Future
VMI has a lot to hang its hat on as it moves forward. The Keydets pushed teams like American and Washington and Lee to the brink, and its 26 records this week giving the program momentum moving into head coach Scott Thacker's third year.
