Photo courtesy of Ramapo Athletics.
The Ramapo College women’s swim team finished its 2021-22 season by competing at the Metropolitan Collegiate Championships in New Brunswick, N.J. over the weekend. The team placed eighth out of 16 teams, while multiple Roadrunners broke school records.
The day was headlined by senior Carissa Campbell who set two new school records. First, she broke her own previously-set 500-yard freestyle school record with a new time of 5:16.26. She finished fifth overall in the race.
Following that performance, Campbell broke her own 1000-yard freestyle record while competing in the 1650-yard freestyle. She finished with a time of 10:51.18. Rounding out her weekend, she finished in eighth place in the 400-yard IM with a time of 4:49.21.
Alexa Pappas finished fourth in the 50-yard freestyle B-final, clocking in with a time of 25.17 seconds. Another Roadrunner with a successful weekend was Fiona Misiura. First, she finished fourth in the C-Final with a time of 25.46 seconds. Then, more notably, she broke her own school record in the 200-yard butterfly. She finished the race in 2:10.30, good enough for sixth in the A-Final. Finally, she finished fourth in the 100-yard butterfly in the A-Final with a time of 58.37 seconds.
In team action, the 200-yard relay team finished with a time of 1:52.87 and ended up placing seventh. This team was composed of Campbell, Misiura, Pappas and Camila Mercado. The 200-yard freestyle relay finished with a time of 1:45.34, good enough for 13th in the race. This team was made of Pappas, Misiura, Mercado and Kaitlin Balasaygun.
“The team really amazed me this past weekend at championships,” said Balasaygun. “It was so rewarding seeing everyone’s hard work finally pay off at the most important meet of the season. There’s no other feeling that compares to being in this championship setting.”
In more individual races, Mercado finished third in the B-Final of the 100-yard breaststroke. She ended up with a time of 1:10.50. Pappas finished second in the C-Final of the 100-yard freestyle, clocking in at a time of 55.65 seconds. Mercado finished eighth in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:36.68.
The 400-yard medley relay team, which consisted of Campbell. Mercado, Misiura and Pappas, finished seventh with a time of 4:14.96. Finally, the 400-yard freestyle team — made up of the same swimmers as the previous race — placed eighth overall, posting a time of 3:47.42.
The women’s swim team ended its season on a high note at the Metropolitan Collegiate Championships with multiple swimmers setting records over a weekend they will remember for a long time. It was a bittersweet end for the swimmers as they are now faced with a long offseason, and some with graduation.
“The last night of the MET Championships was actually the first time I’ve ever cried about a season ending,” said Balasaygun. “I’m currently a junior and now I only have one more year left competing in a sport that I’ve been doing since I was six years old, so it’s a lot to process.”
This weekend will definitely be remembered for a long time, with multiple swimmers setting records.
bschmid@ramapo.edu
