Waggoner, Heim, Pirates Set Two More Program Records at Patriot

Fairfax, Va. – One night after setting the program record in the 400 IM, freshman Allie Waggoner set a new program-high with a 1000 Free split time of 10:11.07 enroute to a first-place finish in the 1650 Free. Later in the evening, Natalie Heim (Middletown, N.J.) would shatter the program record in the 100 Free, doing so in a time of 50.75. Waggoner and Heim each had a hand in setting two new program records during the Patriot Invitational as Heim helped set the 200 Free Relay on Thursday night.

Amanda Zajdzinski and Madeleine Bachand (Raleigh, N.C.) took home fifth and eighth place finishes in the 1650 Free behind Waggoner. Zajdzinski and Bachand finished in times of 17:26.78 and 17:39.52, respectively.

Coming in just behind Heim in the 100 Free was fellow sophomore Leiya Istambouli (Danbury, Conn.). Istambouli finished sixth overall with a time of 51.57. The duo of Sierra Cripps (Seymour, Conn.) and Claire O'Neill (Mount Joy, Pa.) placed fourth and sixth in the 200 Fly. Cripps did so in a time of 2:01.32 while O'Neill finished in a time of 2:03.60.
Closing things out with a fourth-place finish in the 400 Free Relay was the team of Istambouli, Lea Moeller, Cornelia Jerresand (Taeby, Sweden) and Heim. That team placed fourth in the final event of the invite, combining to finish in a time of 3:25.80.

Overall, the team managed to set four new program records while placing fourth with 528 points over the three days.

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1. Delaware 814
2. FAU 709
3. Drexel 677
4. Seton Hall 528
5. George Mason 514.50
6. Richmond 305.50
7. American 279

The Pirates will have some time off from competition before competing in the winter session at Fairfield on Jan. 7.