Fairfax, Va. – The George Mason swimming and diving team is back in the pool competing at the Atlantic 10 Swimming and Diving Championships in Geneva, Ohio.
For the Mason women's team juniors Sydney Fisher, Steff Maurer and Sarah Brallier are poised to make a splash for the second straight year at the championships. In the 2015 A-10 Championships, Fisher took the top spot on the podium in the 50-yard freestyle (22.87), finished third in the 100-yard butterfly (54.86) and was part of the 200-yard medley relay team that placed third (1:41.96), behind only the University of Richmond and Fordham University.
Maurer is the defending champion in the 200-yard backstroke and also finished seventh in the 200-yard freestyle. Brallier is set to defend her crown in the 200-yard breaststroke. She also finished sixth in the 400-yard individual medley and seventh in the 200-yard individual medley a year ago.
Last year, the Mason women finished third in both the 200-yard (1:33.59) and the 400-yard freestyle relay. Madison Baker finished second in the 200-yard butterfly and Kelsey Sorensen was second in the 100-yard backstroke.
For the men's team, sophomore Steven Craig will look to build on last year's strong performance when he finished third in the 400-yard individual medley and fourth in the 1,650-yard freestyle (15:35.62). Junior Jesse Burnley was part of the first place 200-yard freestyle relay team a year ago, setting a school record in the process (1:20.30). Burnley also placed second in both the 100-yard backstroke and the 100-yard freestyle at last year's championships.
Freshman Niles Biolley heads into the Atlantic 10 Championships holding the Patriots freshman record in the 100-yard backstroke. In the A-10, Biolley currently ranks 19th in the 200-yard individual medley, 13th in the 100-yard backstroke and 11th in the 200-yard backstroke.
Junior diver Paul Helfgott recorded a sixth-place finish in the 1-meter and was fifth in the 3-meter at the championships last season.
The A-10 Championship begins Wednesday, February 17 and concludes Saturday, February 20. The University of Massachusetts will look for their 16th overall championship after winning the team title in 2015. The University of Richmond women look for their sixth straight conference championship and 14th title in the last 15 years.
