Day 3 Results (Prelims)
Day 3 Results (Finals)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's swimming team finished sixth out of eight teams with 325.5 points following the third and final day at the MIT Winter Invitational on Sunday at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center Pool.
 
While New Paltz showed well in several events, perhaps its strongest showing of elite depth came in the 200 individual medley. Freshman Katie Donlevy (Bayside, N.Y./The Mary Louis Academy) tied for fourth in the event—the highest individual place for a New Paltz swimmer all weekend—with a time of 2:09.87, while sophomore Megan Joseph (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) and freshman Jaimie Kaefer (North Bellmore, N.Y./W.C. Mepham) finished 11th (2:11.40) and 12th (2:12.35), respectively. Senior Ella Graffin (Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca) also competed in the event in the evening session, taking 25th (2:19.04).
 
The Hawks will now take a month off from competition before swimming at the St. Pete's Classic in St. Petersburg, Fla., during their annual winter training trip on Sunday, Jan. 3, at 10 a.m.
 
The evening began with the foursome of freshman Kaleigh O'Halloran (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville), Joseph, sophomore Molly McCulloch (Rome, N.Y./Holland Patent) and Donlevy charting a 13th-place time of 1:51.14 in the 200 medley relay.
 
Senior Cassidy Griger (Cooperstown, N.Y./Cooperstown Central) made the "A" final of the 500 freestyle and finished ninth (5:11.20), while junior Ann Fici (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) and freshmen Whitney Knowlton-Wardle (Chatham, Mass./Nauset Regional) and Degen Mariniello (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) placed 24th (5:27.81), 29th (5:36.09) and 30th (5:38.86), respectively.
 
Sophomore Lindsay Feminella (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by-the-Sea) and freshman Natalie Grodecki (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) were the Hawks' lone evening swimmers in the 200 backstroke, with Feminella taking 23rd (2:15.64) and Grodecki finishing 30th (2:21.47).
 
In the 100 butterfly, senior Maggie Heaton (New Milford, Conn./New Milford) and sophomore Molly McCulloch (Rome, N.Y./Holland Patent) each made the "B" final and finished in sequence, with Heaton ranking 17th (59.35) and McCulloch finishing 18th (59.37).
 
Senior Casey O'Connor (New Fairfield, Conn./New Fairfield) posted the Hawks' top time of 2:32.71 during the evening session of the 200 breaststroke to finish 19th overall, while senior Krista VerMeersch (Newark, N.Y./Newark) placed 28th (2:39.61).
 
Junior Aimee Del Favero (Auburn, N.Y./Home School) and O'Halloran represented New Paltz in the "B" final of the 100 freestyle, finishing 15th (55.13) and 17th (55.70), respectively, while freshman Nicole Lee (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) placed 28th (57.44) in the event.
 
Finally, the 400 freestyle relay team of Griger, Donlevy, O'Halloran and Del Favero closed out the meet with an eighth-place time of 3:37.29.
 
Columbia University took home the team title with 1,292 points, while New York University finished second (1,119) and host MIT took third (875).