YORK, Pa.- As February rolls on, the West Chester University women's swimming team is finishing its preparations to defend its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship when the 2025 PSAC Swimming Championships get underway on Monday morning with the first session inside the Graham Aquatics Center in York.
In fact, West Chester has won the PSAC women's swimming championship every year in which it entered a team in the conference meet since 2007. The Golden Rams did not compete in the 2021 PSAC Swimming Championships due to COVID-19 restrictions. That's 17 championships in 18 years. Wednesday begins its quest for its 22nd team title. This year's PSAC Swimming Championships will take place at the Graham Aquatics Center in York, Pennsylvania, beginning on Monday, February 17, and concluding on Thursday, February 20. Morning sessions begin at 10 a.m. and evening sessions at 6 p.m. – except for Thursday's final session, which will start at 5 p.m.
"Everybody at this meet wants to win and, at the very least, swim faster than they ever have," began head coach
Steve Mazurek. "Dreaming big is great, but you've got to think small. Successful athletes are exceptionally organized, and they manage their routines in a consistent and meaningful way that allows them to relax and enjoy the event. We don't talk about streaks, but we do talk about history. Great teams and athletes have a lot in common, and one big trait is the ability to adapt to just about anything, take excellent care of themselves, and do whatever they can to bring value to the team. The goal heading in has to be to have a hundred victories on the way to the blocks. We know this is going to be a tight meet, so those small victories along the way could certainly be the edge we need," said Mazurek.
Tickets for an adult morning session pass will be $6, while evening session passes will be $9, with student (k-12) session passes being $5. An adult all-session pass is available for $55, while a student all-session pass will be $25. Students from PSAC Member Institutions with current, valid IDs will be admitted free of charge. There will be no complimentary tickets; however, PSAC passes will be honored. Tickets must be purchased online and can be bought via this
link. Purchasing tickets prior to arrival at the venue is highly recommended.
For fans who have not been following the Golden Rams closely throughout the 2024-25 season, they will notice a different look as West Chester graduated a large senior class a year ago, including the PSAC Athlete of the Year in
McKenzie Hemingway and PSAC Championships Swimmer of the Meet,
Keeley Durkin.
While some names are different there are several familiar student-athletes leading the Golden Rams in 2025 and the team enters the Championships with a number of individual top times and the top relay time in two events as well. In the few events that West Chester does not head to York with the top time in, the Golden Rams are not far off, sitting comfortably inside the top three in most of these events.
Asked about the new leadership and development of the 2025 Golden Rams, Mazurek said, "I think you are seeing the best of both worlds. It's a combination of the previous team's work ethic and the new energy this group has. Whenever you graduate a big class like we did, there's a lot of opportunity for athletes to take on new and bigger roles. Our seniors all lead in different ways, but one thing is very clear: all care deeply about this team. You'll never see any of them going through the motions; they love to work, and that's the best way to set the tone for a team. Our younger student-athletes feed off that energy, and our freshmen bring a lot of humor to the pool. It's a really exciting time to be a part of this program," concluded Mazurek.
Sam Trumble (Dallastown, Pa./Dallastown) shows one of the top 50 free teams in the field at 23.61 seconds, which is the third-fastest time in the field. Trumble is also seventh in the league in the 100 free, with a time of 52.13 seconds.
Dani Stewart (Dover, Del./Caesar Rodney) holds the second fastest 1000 free time in the field at 10:39.88, while
Ditta Kowalik (State College, Pa./State College) is third at 10:41.75. Kowalik is also the second fastest 500 free time at 5:05.25, while Stewart is third in 5:05.33. Stewart and Kowalik are also second and third in the 1650 free in times of 17:26.47 and 17:35.67, respectively.
Anna Evans (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) holds the fifth fastest 100 backstroke time in the field at 58.29 seconds, while
Allie DeFrehn (Mullica Hill, N.J./Clearview) is sixth fastest in the 200 back with a time of 2:08.29.
Madelyn Koehle (State College, Pa./State College) holds the top 100 and 200 breaststroke times in the field at 1:03.92 and 2:16.60, respectively, while her time of 1:54.28 in the 200 free is also sixth best in the field.
West Chester has the top three times in the field in the 200 breast as
Lenya Ryan (Wilmington, Del./Mt. Pleasant) and
Molly Hubal (Archbald, Pa./Valley View) are second and third in 2:19.95 and 2:23.33, respectively. The Golden Rams also show the top three times in the 200 IM as
Susana Ungo Quero (Madrid, Spain) is first at 2:04.48, while
Bella Kil (Enola, Pa./East Pennsboro) is second in 2:05.28, followed by Koehle in third at 2:07.41.
Ungo Quero also enters with the top time in the 100 fly at 55.15 seconds and the 200 fly at 2:02.26. Kil is fourth in the 100 fly in 57.11 seconds, while
Amy Masciuli (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) is fifth in 2:08.59.
Ryan also holds the top time in the 400 IM at 4:28.75.
West Chester also enters with the top time in the league in the 800 free relay (7:37.24) and 200 free relay (1:35.14). The Golden Rams have the third fastest 400 free relay team in the field with a seed time of 3:31.48, while the 200 medley relay is also third fastest at 1:45.26. The 400 medley relay is the second fastest in the field at 3:49.49.
Monday's session includes prelims in the 200 IM, 50, and 1000 free, with the 800 free relay joining these events for the evening session.
