ITHACA, N.Y.—The William Smith swimming and diving team competed at the Bomber Invitational hosted by Liberty League foe, Ithaca, over the weekend. After three days of competition and several impressive performances, the Herons finished sixth of seven teams, finishing with 648 points as a team.
 
THURSDAY RECAP:
 
After the first day of competition, William Smith sat in fifth place with 212 points. The Herons were highlighted by a 24th overall finish from sophomore Aurora Donta-Venman in the 500-yard freestyle. Donta-Venman qualified for the finals and finished with a personal-best time of 5:37.62 to claim 24th place.
 
In the 200-yard Individual Medley, junior Mackenzie Morus shined for William Smith, placing 11th overall with a personal best time of 2:17.34. Junior Jayne Pearson and first-year Lark Sallade also qualified for the finals in the 200 IM and finished 18th and 19th, respectively.
 
From the diving board, sophomore Fiona Garfield posted a personal best score of 366.05 from the 1-meter board, finishing 10th out of 19 divers in the preliminary round.
 
FRIDAY RECAP:
 
Friday's action was highlighted by an 11th place finish in the 400-yard IM by Morus. She touched the wall at 4:53.67 to earn crucial points for the Herons. In the 200-yard freestyle, senior Lea Doufekias Emanuel qualified for the C finals, where she placed 24th with a time of 2:06.92.
 
In the 100-yard breaststroke event, five Herons qualified for the afternoon finals and were led by sophomore Kaleigh Boynton's 12th place finish after stopping the clock at 1:11.92. Classmate Jenna Flihan added an 18th place finish with a personal best time of 1:14.65, while Donta-Venman came in 20th with a time of 1:17.28. Senior Marguerite Woodruff and junior Bria Romano added 22nd and 24th place finishes, respectively.
 
William Smith closed out the day with a strong showing in the 100-yard backstroke event as sophomore Boglarka Olah and first-year Sofia Ciereck qualified for the finals. Olah finished 19th with a time of 1:03.75, while Ciereck touched the wall at 1:06.66 for 23rd place.
 
SATURDAY RECAP:
Olah picked up right where she left off, finishing 14th overall in the 200-yard backstroke event on Saturday. She stopped the clock at 2:18.84 to lead the Herons in the finals. Pearson added an 18th place finish in the same event with a time of 2:18.90, while Ciereck and Doufekias Emanuel finished 23rd and 24th, respectively.
 
In the 200-yard breaststroke, Boynton led William Smith with a 14th place finish in the finals after stopping the clock at 2:41.64. Woodruff followed closely behind in 17th with a time of 2:56.82, while Romano finished 19th after touching the wall at 3:03.57.
 
The 200-yard butterfly had two Herons qualify for the finals after impressive performances in the prelims. Morus led William Smith with a 14th place finish and a time of 2:21.72, while senior Hali Seidberg chipped in a 17th place finish with a time of 2:25.65.
 
From the diving board, Garfield led the Herons once again. Garfield tallied another personal best score from the 3-meter diving board. She earned a score of 352.95 to claim 13th place in the prelims.

UP NEXT:

William Smith will be back in action Jan. 17, when it travels to Troy, New York for the annual Kumpf Invitational hosted by RPI. Action is set to start at 1 p.m.