Regular season hopes, last chance qualifications, and an impressive seven-win record were on the line for the women’s swimming and diving team on Jan. 31 at the Bison Invite. The home meet brought Penn State, American, Loyola, Lafayette, Towson, Seton Hall, Shippensburg, and Navy to Kinney Natatorium.

Notable performances came from Dani Potis ’18 and Lauren Perry ’15. Potis won both the 200 fly and the 200 free, while Lyndsey Marcheskie ’16 also placed fifth in the 200 free. In a sea of deep competition, Marcheskie also led teammates Laureana Zrada ’17, Emily Andrews ’18, Alanna Nawrocki ‘16, and Paige Daniel ’17 to high-place finishes in the 38-swimmer field.

“This weekend was the last big, full, team meet where you can visually see how supportive everyone is of each other,” Potis said. Clearly that support paid off.

Meanwhile, Perry placed first in the 500 free and teammates Julianna Foss ’18 and Amber McDonnell ’17 also finished within the top 10. Ashley Henderson ’16 placed third in the 100 breast and fifth in the 100 fly.

“Swimming the 500 free at this meet made me very excited that championships are right around the corner,” Perry said.

On the diving side, Tori Molchany ’15 and Tally Ford ’18 took top honors for the Bison.

The weekend’s competition was as much a showing of season-built talent as a precursor to a potential Patriot League championship.

“The successes that were showcased this weekend by many of the individuals on the team are a clear representation of how we have been training as a whole. Everyone had been putting in the effort and the work ethic in the pool and the weight room,” Potis said.

The rest of the women’s swimming and diving team can’t wait to take that same energy to Patriot League Championships, which will take place from Feb. 18-21.