Everything is better in threes and the Rowan women’s swimming and diving team proved that, collecting their third straight New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) title with a win over The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).

Head coach Brad Bowser was proud of the Profs, who beat out their rival in all but two of 14 races. This should come as no surprise based on the final score.

218-82.

The Brown and Gold are led by senior captains Miranda Coughlin and Gabby Gligor. The two veterans have been leaders in the water, but their contributions don’t stop there. Their leadership has been a large factor in the team’s sustained success, according to Bowser.  

“The two of them really work hard not only in the pool, but also in recruiting bringing in the right people to provide a winning team and a winning attitude,” Bowser said.

Their swimming abilities shouldn’t be overlooked, either. Coughlin had a stellar performance in front of the home crowd, finishing first in each of her four events. She competed in the 200 freestyle, 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 400 medley relay posting times of 1:57.48, 24.26, 53.32, and a split of 53.59, respectively. Gligor finished fifth in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:18.65 with less than a second separating her from third place. She was then able to net the third-place finish in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:01.15.

This leadership and recruiting has clearly paid off in the form of impressive freshman Kylie Salerno. She may be an underclassman, but she’s proving to be a weapon for the Brown and Gold.

In the biggest meet so far of her first season, Salerno showed no signs of a rookie wall or freshman jitters. Her 29.36 split as the backstroke leg in the 200 medley relay contributed to a second-place finish to pair with another second-place finish in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:03.52. She was also the second leg of the first place 400 relay with Coughlin, in which she had a 55.55 split.

The next goal for the team is to defend its Metropolitan Conference Championship when they head to Rutgers University Feb. 22-24. They will need another solid team performance that requires contributions from everyone including the underclassmen as the Profs attempt to qualify for the NCAA championships and win the METS for the fourth year in a row.

Additional reporting by Vince Scian.

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