Marywood’s swimming and diving teams’ seasons recently came to an end at the Landmark Championships in Germantown, Maryland.

The men’s team placed sixth out of seven teams while the women finished in fifth place out of eight teams.

Swimming and diving head coach Noah Beck said that even though the team’s positioning held consistent, the group is making strides.

“The team’s getting better and we’re getting faster… and we’re closing the gaps in a lot of places. Sometimes it’s tough to see that tangible progress in the standings,” said Beck.

Despite Beck’s praise of the team as a whole, two Pacers stood out from the rest at the championships. Senior diver Courtney Snyder and junior swimmer Mia Nardone both captured gold medals for Marywood.

Nardone was named 1st Team All-Landmark for her win in the 200 fly and 2nd Team All-Landmark in the 400 Individual Medley (IM) for her silver medal effort. Her time in the 400 IM set a new Marywood record.

Snyder was named the Landmark Conference Co-Diver of the Year for her performances in the 1-meter and 3-meter dive.

Snyder’s gold medal performance in the 3-meter dive landed her a 1st Team All-Landmark honor. She also earned a 2nd Team All-Landmark nod for her second place finish in the 1-meter dive, setting a school record in the process.

Snyder said that her performance was important to her on multiple levels.

“It meant so much for me to bring home that gold medal not just for myself, but for my coach, teammates, the swimming and diving program, and Marywood as a whole,” she said. “To be named Co-Diver of the Year in the conference meant a lot considering that the Landmark Conference isn’t the easiest to be a part of.”

Snyder said she felt validated by the win.

“Winning the gold was definitely a validation that my hard work paid off because it just proved to myself that I can do whatever I set my mind to. [Winning] was the most exhilarating moment in my life,” Snyder said.

Aside from Snyder and Nardone, other Pacers logged impressive performances.

Freshman Nick Dubinksi broke both the 100 and 200 breaststroke school records. His swim in the 100 breaststroke earned him a bronze medal while junior Julia Randolph furthered Marywood’s impressive showing in the 400 IM with a bronze medal of her own.

The Pacers finished with 10 top-five finishes, and 22 top-ten finishes overall.

Beck said that the team’s performance left little to be desired.

“Overall I was very happy. There wasn’t a whole lot that I was disappointed by,” he said.

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