Grove City had 12 All-PAC selections, including eight on First Team, and they helped the Wolverines win their 23rd PAC championship on Feb. 18th.
TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) -- The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) released the 2022-23 All-PAC Men's Swimming and Diving teams Wednesday, with 41 total student-athletes recognized for their performances at this winter's PAC Swimming & Diving Championships.
The all-conference swimming and diving teams are determined by a formula-based selection process using student-athletes' individual and relay finishes at the league’s annual championships.
Nineteen student-athletes earned a spot on the All-PAC First Team. Nineteen were also named to the All-PAC Second Team while three earned All-PAC Honorable Mention.
Grove City College led all programs with 12 all-conference selections, including eight on First Team. They were followed closely by Westminster College with 11 honorees. Saint Vincent College was next (seven) followed by Allegheny College (six), Washington & Jefferson College (three), Bethany College (one) and Chatham University (one).
Grove City won its fifth-straight PAC title and the program’s PAC-best 23rd team championship on Feb. 18th. The Wolverines accumulated 980 total points to win the title over runner-up Westminster, who totaled 748 points. Saint Vincent placed third with 613 points and Allegheny came in fourth place with 467 points. They were followed by Washington & Jefferson with 251, Bethany with 126 and Chatham with 39.
The conference championships were once again held at Grove City's James E. Longnecker Competition Pool. Longnecker Pool has been the home of the league’s championships since 1990.
In addition to the team title, Grove City swept the individual swimming awards at this year's championships. Freshman Caleb Einolf (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) earned Swimmer of the Year honors, while another Wolverine first-year swimmer, Will Sterrett (Wilmington, N.C./Hoggard), captured the league's Newcomer of the Year award.
The conference's Diver of the Year went to Westminster graduate student Patrick Holton (Livonia, Mich. | Winston Churchill), who swept both diving events for the third straight year.
Einolf earned PAC Swimmer of the Year after he won the 100 Fly in 48.85 seconds, breaking the pool record and provisionally qualifying for NCAA Championships. He also helped the 200 Free Relay and 400 Medley Relay set pool records while surpassing the NCAA "B" cut. Additionally, Einolf surpassed the "B" standard in the 100 Breaststroke with a program-record time of 55.75 seconds during a Friday time trial.
The PAC Newcomer of the Year, Sterrett won the 200 Individual Medley, 400 Individual Medley and 200 Back at this year's meet. He also contributed to wins in the 200 and 800 Free Relays, along with both medley relay events.
Now a three-time PAC Diver of the Year, Holton prevailed in the 11-dive, 3-meter event, posting his third straight conference title in the event with a score of 522.60. He also earned his third-straight title in the 11-dive, 1-meter event with a score of 494.85. Holton surpassed the qualifying standards on both boards for the Division III Region 4 (Northeast/South) Diving Championships.
Grove City head coach Dave Fritz was voted the league's Swimming Coach of the Year, his 11th coach of the year commendation with the men. Westminster's Collin Vest was voted the league's Diving Coach of the Year and has been honored with that award in both of his seasons with Westminster.