Ella Pennington competes in the back stroke. Pennington set a new Montclair State pool record on Friday with her time in the 100 Backstroke. (Rowan Athletics)
Ella Pennington won two individual events in Rowan women’s swimming, 150-112, win over Montclair State at the Panzer Athletic Center. Pennington’s win in the 100 Backstroke was also a new facility record at the Panzer Athletic Center, with a 56.80.
Pennington, who was named New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Swimmer of the Week, won in the 200 Backstroke event as well, with a time of 2:02.72. The senior picked up more wins as part of the 400 free relay with Peyton Stauffer, Alexa Harris, and Barbara Mora, and again in the 200 medley relay with Mora, Rhylee Cornell, and Lilyanna Martin.
“There’s actually nothing more fun in swimming than relays,” Pennington said. “Being able to compete with your teammates and cheering behind the blocks and especially winning, when it’s a good race, especially that (400 Free Relay) was a really good race. When it’s a good race, there’s nothing like it, and it’s just really special.”
Kaitlyn Crouthamel continued a hot start to her third season in the win, picking up three individual wins. The junior won the 200 Free, 500 Free, and 200 Individual Medley (IM), which forced to swim butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke, and freestyle.
“I came in as an IM’er,” Crouthamel said. “And the (200 IM) I swam at (NJAC Championships) my freshman year, so I hold it near and dear to my heart. Last year, I kind of went down the distance pipelines, so I really enjoy swimming IM. It was really fun, and I was really happy with my time. I really wasn’t expected to be that fast, so it felt really good.”
Crouthamel and Cornell teamed up for a huge win to start the season against Stevens to open the year. In week two, Cornell’s momentum didn’t stop either. The sophomore took home first place in both breaststroke events, with a time of 1:09.95 in the 100-yard, and 2:30.35 in the 200-yard event.
Before the meet, she predicted she’d “show them what a Prof is,” and she did that.
It’s the best start to the season for Rowan that the team could ask for, and right now, it’s all about riding the momentum.
“This year we really came in hot,” Crouthamel said. “Everyone says ‘The Profs are hot,’ but I think this year we really were. We hit the ground running and worked really hard in the preseason, and it’s definitely paying off.”
With a 2-0 record, Rowan has a two-week break before action begins again at Salisbury on Nov. 1.
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