Cudney Wins 100 Free As Women's Swimming & Diving Places 2nd in NESCAC

MIDDLEBURY, VT (February 18, 2024) - Senior Jillian Cudney won the 100 freestyle title to lead the Tufts women's swimming & diving team in a strong final day at the NESCAC Championships on Sunday. The Jumbos placed second as a team overall.

Cudney won the 100 free with a 50.85 time, touching 0.12 in front of runner-up Grace Wenger from Bates College (50.97). This is Cudney's fifth NESCAC win overall, including the 100 free and with the 200 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay in 2022, and with the 200 free relay last year.

Head coach Adam Hoyt's Jumbos scored 1628.5 points over the four-day meet to finish as the 2024 runner-up. Williams College won the NESCAC crown with a 2002 score. Rounding out the top five were host Middlebury College (1020), Bates College (945.5) and Colby College (858.5).

The Jumbos closed the meet with a runner-up time of 3:24.42 in the 400 freestyle relay Sunday night. Tufts' foursome was sophomore Quinci Wheeler, sophomore Isa Chambers, first-year Sydney Stasz and Cudney.

Senior Elise Fong charged to a third-place finish in the 200 backstroke final on Sunday night with a 2:02.89 time. The Jumbos also got fifth in the race with sophomore Maddie Hagberg's 2:04.00 touch.

Tufts added a bunch of points in the 1650 freestyle, led by sophomore Madeleine Dunn in fifth place (17:09.84). The Jumbos also had junior Cierra McCarty eighth (17:29.99), senior Katie Shelburne ninth (17:31.06) and senior Sahar Mumtaz 11th (17:45.90).

For the 200 breaststroke Tufts had four swimmers in the top 16. Wheeler's 2:19.78 time took fifth, sophomore Avery Newcomer was seventh in a 2:20.58 mark, junior Emma Claus scored 13th with her 2:23.41 time and junior Abby Miller's 2:25.91 was 16th.

Junior Lara Wujciak also scored fifth-place points in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:04.84 in the final.

Behind Cudney in the 100 free were Chambers in seventh at 52.03 seconds and first-year Selin Tuncay 14th in 53.03 seconds.

Tufts' strong performance on Sunday included eight NCAA "B" cut times. Earning the marks were Cudney in the 100 free, Newcomer and Wheeler in the 200 breast, Dunn in the 1650 free, Fong in the 200 back, Wujciak in the 200 fly and the 400 free relay. First-year Mia Solomon also swam a 1:04.10 in a 100 breaststroke time trial that is an NCAA "B" cut.

At the championship meet overall, Jumbos won two events, broke five records and established many NCAA "B" qualifying marks.

Official entries into the NCAA Championships will be announced on February 28.

Swimmers will have another opportunity to record NCAA qualifying marks at the NESCAC Invitational held at Colby College next Sunday.