Mason men's swimming and diving finish second overall, women take fourth in Patriot Invitational

Senior David Kiss competes in butterfly event at a recent meet. (Photo courtesy of George Mason Athletics.)

With George Mason University hosting the Patriot Invitational at the Aquatic and Fitness Center on the Fairfax campus, the swimming and diving team intended to defend their pool and showcase a respectable performance. 

Ten schools competed in the competition including Mason: Ohio University, University of Richmond, American University, George Washington University, University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Howard University, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Seton Hall University and Shippensburg University all made the trip to northern Virginia for the Thursday to Sunday meet. 

The Mason men's team finished second overall in the team competition, just behind UNC-W by 32.5 points. 

Junior Joey Kelly turned out a solid second-place performance in the men's 100-meter freestyle, finishing with a time of 45.61. Also finishing in second was the men's 400-meter relay team made up of Kelly, David Kiss, Austin Witherow and Travis Lauri. Witherow was also runner-up to Pierre De Waal of UMBC in the 200-meter butterfly. 

The Mason women's team came in fourth overall as Ohio won the team competition. 

Junior Rebecca Anderson and freshman Melissa Davis turned in strong perfomances for the Patriots. Anderson finished third in the 1650-meter freestyle while Davis also finished third in the 200-meter backstroke.

The swimming and diving team will return to action on Jan. 2 in the Orange Bowl Classic in Key Largo, Fla.