Clarion’s Men’s Swimmers at 57th PSAC’s February 19-22

Robichaud, SpencerCLARION, Pa. (EYT) – The 2015 Clarion University Men’s Swimming team is heading to the 57th Annual PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) Championships from Thursday, February 19, through Sunday, February 22, at the Graham Aquatic Center located in York, Pa.

Four events are scheduled for Thursday night starting at 6:00 p.m. The women’s and men’s 1000 meter freestyle will be followed by 200 IM, 50 Free and the 200 medley relay and the day will come to a close. From Friday through Sunday prelims are set each day at 10am, with Finals on Friday and Saturday at 6pm, and Sunday at approximately 5:00pm. The Women’s PSAC Championship will also run at the same time in an alternating event format.

Tickets for the championship will be on sale at the door. For adults its $5 for prelims, $7 for finals or an all-session pass at $45. All PSAC University Students with valid ID admitted free. Other students are $2 per session and $15 for an all-session pass.

The PSAC Men’s Championship, which started in 1959, has seen West Chester win 27 titles, with Clarion right behind with 24 team championships. Shippensburg has also won 4 and Slippery Rock one. Clarion did not compete as a team at the PSAC’s until 1970.

Clarion has won a total of 24 PSAC titles in the last 44 seasons including a 19-year title stretch from 1971-89. Clarion’s last team championship came in 1998 when the Eagles had a four-year run on the title (1995-98).

West Chester’s men are seeking their 17th straight PSAC team title in 2015 when seven teams meet to vie for the PSAC Championship.

The 2015 PSAC Men’s Championship? “West Chester should repeat their title,” said 15th year Clarion head coach Mark VanDyke. “I expect that IUP will be favored for second place, and Bloomsburg would be right behind in third. Gannon, Ship, Edinboro and Clarion will all be battling for places after that,” said VanDyke. “We’ll just focus on swimming as fast as we can, and let the results speak for themselves.”

Clarion will have 11 swimmers participating at the PSAC’s and they will be – in alpha order: Matt Bair (So. Free/Breast, Huntingdon), Shayne Custodio (So. Free/Back/Fly, Berlin, Md.), Jon Haycock (So. Free/Breast, Indiana), Ian Lindsey (So. Breast/Free, Cabot/Knoch), Travis Myers (Jr. Free/Back, Butler), Matthew Peiper (Fr. Free/Breast, Washington/Trinity), Wade Reichelderfer (So. Free, Shippensburg/Big Spring), James Robichaud (Sr. Free/Fly/IM, Annapolis, Md.), Luke Simpson (So. Free/Fly/Back, Charleroi), Ben Spencer (So. IM/Back, Tunkhannock) and Chris Steele (Fr. Free/Fly, North East).

Robichaud and Spencer expect to lead the Golden Eagles this weekend.

Robichaud, a senior, is seeded high in three events including #2 in the 200 butterfly (1:52.38), 5th in the 200 free (1:40.65) and 6th in the 200 IM (1:52.04) which is the Clarion men’s record time . He will also likely swim the 100 free. Last year at PSAC’s he placed 3rd in the 200 butterfly (1:52.17), 6th in the 400 IM (4:03.99), 9th In the 200 IM (1:52.72) and 9th in the 100 free (47.11). In 2013 James was 2nd in the 400 I.M. with a time of 4:04.59, 3rd in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:53.72, while also finishing 9th in the 500 free.

Spencer, a sophomore, is seeded 5th in the 200 back (1:52.05), 7th in the 100 back (52.10), 11th in the 400 IM (4:09.82), and 14th in the 200 IM. Last year Ben placed 9th in the 100 breast (53.35) and 9th in the 200 backstroke (1:54.34).

Lindsey, a sophomore, is seeded 14th in the 100 breaststroke and 15thi nthe 200, and will be looking to score I nthe 200 IM and the 400 IM. Last year he placed 11th in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:10.79, and 14th in the 100 breast (59.07).

Simpson, also a sophomore, is ranked 14th in the 50 free (21.48), 21st in the 100 and 24th I nthe 100 fly. He placed 16th in the 50 free (21.66) at PSAC’s a year ago.

Also seeded in the top 20 and looking to score will be Travis Myers, Jon Haycock and Shayne Custodio. Myers is seeded 12th in the 200 backstroke and 13th in the 100 back, with Haycock rated 10th in the 100 breaststroke and 17th in the 200, and Custodio 12th in the 200 fly, but also a contender to score in the 200 back.

West Chester won the 2014 PSAC title in a new venue, the Graham Aquatic Center in York, Pa. with 1,036 points, with Bloomsburg second (581.5) and IUP third with 475. Gannon placed fourth with 356.5 points, Edinboro fifth at 321, Clarion sixth with 267 and Shippensburg seventh at 179.

West Chester won the 2013 PSAC title at Cumberland Valley High with 811 points, Bloomsburg was second with 482 points, Clarion was third with 452, Gannon fourth with 433, IUP fifth with 384, Edinboro sixth at 354 and Shippensburg seventh with 299 points.
Held at Cumberland Valley High School, West Chester won the 2012 team title with 749.5 points, Gannon as second with 472, Edinboro third with 445, Clarion fourth at 439.5, Bloomsburg fifth with 377, IUP sixth at 362 and Shippensburg seventh with 327 points.

In 2011, also at Cumberland Valley, West Chester won the team title with 686 points, Clarion was second with 567, Edinboro was third with 440 and Shippensburg fourth with 417.5.

Clarion was second in 2010 with 599.5 points, behind West Chester who won with 780 points. Also placing third was Shippensburg with 504.5, Edinboro fourth at 418, Bloomsburg fifth with 380, Gannon sixth at 285 and Indiana seventh with 272 at Cumberland Valley.

In 2009 Clarion was third, while finishing second at the PSAC’s the previous ten seasons. Held at Cumberland Valley High School in 2009, West Chester won the team title with 812 points, Shippensburg was second with 544.5 and Clarion third with 504 points. Gannon also finished fourth with 362, Bloomsburg fifth with 342.5, Indiana sixth at 326, Edinboro seventh with 282 and Kutztown eighth with 177 points.

In 2008 West Chester won the team title at Cumberland Valley High with 919 points, while Clarion was second with 631.5 and Shippensburg third with 451.5. Rounding out the 7 team field were fourth place Kutztown at 326, Edinboro in fifth with 302, IUP sixth with 289, and Bloomsburg seventh with 287 points.

The 2007 PSAC’s, also at Cumberland Valley, saw West Chester win the team title with 907.5 points, Clarion was second with 685 and Shippensburg third with 622 points. Rounding out the seven team field were Kutztown in fourth with 280, Edinboro fifth with 278, Indiana sixth at 255.5 and Bloomsburg seventh with 163 points.

Clarion hosted the 2006 championship at W.S. Tippin Natatorium and West Chester won the team title with 617 points, with Clarion second at 441 and Shippensburg third with 296. Rounding out the 8 team field were IUP fourth with 255 points, Bloomsburg fifth with 196, Kutztown sixth at 147, Edinboro seventh with 103 and Slippery Rock eighth with 67 points.

The last time Clarion won the PSAC Men’s title was in 1998 when the Golden Eagles hosted the event at Tippin Natatorium. Clarion finished first with 469 points, while IUP was second with 359, Slippery Rock third with 288, Kutztown fourth at 252.5, West Chester fifth with 248.5, Shippensburg sixth with 239, Bloomsburg seventh with 85 and Edinboro eighth with 56 points.

CLARION NOTES: Clarion posted a dual meet record of 1-6 this season… Each team can qualify up to 18 participants at the PSAC’s … Each PSAC swimmer can swim a maximum of 7 events this weekend and no more than four individual events… Clarion will be at the NCAA D-II Nationals on March 11-14 in Indianapolis ….. 2015 marks the 19th year diving was eliminated from the PSAC Championship… Diving remains an integral part of the NCAA Championship…Since 1971, when the PSAC began to score its championships the same way the NCAA does, the closest championship races were – 2000 when West Chester edged Clarion by 7.5 points (514.5 – 507) at IUP; in 1972 when Clarion won by 9 points (383-374) over West Chester, and 1991 when Shipp edged Clarion by 15 (565-550).


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