'On This Day' Ronan Sets School Record; Schwend Takes Gold in Final Day of 2017 NEAC Championships

'On This Day' is a Wells College Athletics feature series taking a look back on events that occurred on this day, Feb. 12, four years ago in 2017.

The Wells College men's swimming team saw a school-record time established in the 100-yard individual medley and a total of seven top-10 times in Wells history were posted on the concluding day of the North Eastern Athletic Conference Championships, while the Wells College women's swimming team wrapped up the three-day NEAC Championships with an event champion and three top-10 times in Wells history.

The women's team placed fourth in the team standings with 311 points at the NEAC Championships, while the men's team finished in third place in the team standings with 337 points. The 2017 NEAC Championships were hosted by Cazenovia College.

For the men's team, Ian Ronan set a school record in the 100-yard individual medley during the morning prelims with a time of 1:04.28. He went on to place fourth in the event finals during the Sunday night session on Feb. 12, 2017. Ronan was joined in the event finals by Tyler Lewis, who finished fifth with a time of 1:10.98. The time for Lewis ranks fourth in Wells history.

Austin Heil took second in the finals of the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 51.06 seconds. That time is the second-fastest ever by a Wells swimmer. Ronan also hit the record board in the finals of the 200-yard breaststroke. He placed third in 2:31.31. Arthur Brooks was fifth in the 200 breast finals and Tyler Lewis was sixth.

The finals of the 1,650-yard freestyle saw two more top-10 times established. Brandon Sprague finished second with a time of 20:52.84 and Lucas Donnenwirth was third in 21:07.61. Sprague's time is sixth and Donnenwirth stands seventh in Wells history.

The final record-board time came from the 400-yard freestyle relay of Heil, Brooks, Donnenwirth, and Ronan in 3:51.33. They took fourth in the event finals and the time stands 10th in Wells history.

In women's action, Kaitlyn Schwend and Courtney Cloutier swept the top two places in the finals of the 200-yard butterfly. Schwend's first-place time was 2:30.58 and Cloutier was runner-up in 2:34.94.

Gina Ross-Detro swam two career-best times in Sunday's action. In the prelims of the 200-yard breaststroke, her time of 2:47.54 improved her standing of fifth on the Wells record board. She went on to place third in the championship final of the 200 breast. Ross-Detro was fourth in the finals of the 100-yard individual medley with a time of 1:09.53, which ranks fourth all-time at Wells.

Shannon Simmons also hit the Wells record board with a second-place finish in the finals of the 200-yard backstroke in 2:33.39, which ranks eighth at Wells.

Chasity Daniels was ninth and Destiny Rivera placed 11th in the 100-yard freestyle. Anna Bozeat was ninth in the 200-yard backstroke. Caroline Kelemen was 12th in the 200-yard breaststroke. Emily Cooper took 11th and Asa Cade took 12th in the 1,650-yard freestyle.

Wells had entries in both the A and B Finals of the 400-yard freestyle relay. The A relay of Simmons, Ross-Detro, Schwend, and Cloutier finished third in a time of 4:04.90. Daniels, Bozeat, Cade, and Cooper were 10th in the 400 free relay.

Results: https://www.wells-express.com/sports/wswim/2016-17/files/021217-NEAC_Results.pdf