FULL RESULTS

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Oct. 15, 2010) – The Saint Francis University swimming team got its 2010-11 season off on the right track with a 3-1 day at Cleveland State on Friday.  The Red Flash defeated Niagara 216-78, Gannon 203-85 and Butler 221-39.  SFU's lone setback of the day came to the home-standing Vikings, 181-113.

“We had some great swims tonight,” said Red Flash head coach Patrick Gallagher.  “This is a good place to start, but we know that we have some work to do to keep building from here.”

“Cleveland State always seems to bring out some great races in our women.”

Red Flash freshman Elise Löfgren made an immediate impact in her first collegiate meet, swimming to a pair of first-place finishes in breaststroke events and helped the 200-yard medley relay team to a second-place finish.

Lofgren registered a 1:07.35 in the 100-yard breaststroke – which ranks third all-time in program annals – and followed that up with a school-record time of 2:23.30 in the 200-yard event.

In the 200 medley relay, Löfgren teamed with senior Hanna Yttring (Gothenburg, Sweden/Katrinelundsgymnasiet), freshman Libby Francis (Dundee, Scotland/Grove Academy), and sophomore Alicia Ford (Whitney Point, N.Y./Whitney Point) to compile the second-best time in SFU history with a 1:48.99.

Junior Jessica Dunn (Bristow, Va./Seton School) also turned in a first-place finish at the meet in the 200 back.  Her time of 2:08.18 marked another second-place time in the school record books.  Newcomer Katrina Wilhite (Sparks, Nev./Edward C. Reed) was close behind Dunn with a 2:13.44 in the event – also a program top-10 time.

Sophomore Kathleen Lyon (King George, Va./King George) came close to breaking her own program record, but ended up finishing second at the meet by swimming a 10:34.60 in the 1,000-yard freestyle.  Lyon also earned silver in the 500 free with a 5:13.25.

Teammates Megan Collins (Monroeville, Pa./Oakland Catholic) and Jenny Demjanenki claimed third and fourth place – both freshmen – in the 500-yard freestyle.  Demjaneko swam the sixth best time in Red Flash history in the 200 free by notching a 1:57.44.

SFU swimmers earned two more top-10 spots as Dunn and Wilhite nabbed second and third in the 100-yard backstroke.  In the 100-yard free, Ford and senior Melissa Heintz (Boyertown, Pa./Oley Valley) similarly registered program top-10 times while claiming second and third place at the meet.

Ford and Yttring claimed second place finishes in the 50 free and 100-yard butterfly, respectively.

SFU notched second-through-fourth place in the 200-yard IM thanks to the trio of Francis, Dunn and Löfgren.  All three registered program top-10 times.

The Red Flash rounded out the outing with a silver in the 200-yard freestyle relay.  The quartet of Ford, Heintz, Meghan Cotugno (Cape Coral, Fla./Cape Coral), and Yttring turned in a time of 1:38.59.

Saint Francis opens its home schedule on Saturday when it hosts Mount St. Mary's.  The event will get underway at 1 p.m.