CARLISLE, Pa. -- Gracie McKee (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown) started her final PSAC Championships by matching her career-best with a sixth-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley and Ana Soto (Hamburg, N.J./Vernon Township) swam the third-fastest 50-yard freestyle time in program history to help Kutztown sit 10th following the opening day of competition at the Keystone Aquatic Center.

McKee, a five-time PSAC medalist, grabbed the eighth and final spot in the A Final of the 200 IM with a season-best 2:09.38. McKee's time was a mere three-hundredths of a second faster than that of IUP's Amber Baldani, who was relegated to the B Final.

The Gilbertsville, Pa., native found another gear in the finals, setting another season-best time of 2:06.59 to bring home a sixth-place finish and 24 team points.

Soto outperformed her 26th-place pre-meet seeding with a 24.41 in prelims to set the third-quickest time in school history and qualify for the C Final with the 20th-best time overall. The sophomore from Hamburg, N.J., cut more than four tenths of a second off her previous career-best of 24.82 while vaulting up from seventh on the program's top 10 list.

Soto equaled her prelims positioning with a 20th-place finish after going 24.44 in the finals.

Annamarie Rodier (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) registered the 12th-best time in the 1000 freestyle with a season-best 10:36.73, banking 15 points for the Golden Bears.

In the only relay during Wednesday evening's final session, Kutztown's 800 free relay team of Rodier, Trinity Miller (Mount Pleasant, Pa./Mount Pleasant), Tatum Rothermel (Halifax, Pa./Halifax) and Birta Smaradottir (Mosfellsbær, Iceland/Commercial College of Iceland) turned in an 8:12.03 to place 11th.

The four-day meet continues Thursday with prelims at 10 a.m., followed by finals at 6 p.m. Events on the docket for Thursday include the 100 butterfly, 400 individual medley, 200 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay.
 

---

2024 PSAC SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Feb. 14, 2024 | Keystone Aquatic Center | Carlisle, Pa.
 
KUTZTOWN RESULTS
All distances in yards
 
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14
Prelims – 10 a.m.
 
1000 Freestyle (35 entries)
* Fast heat held during finals session
12. Annamarie Rodier (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape), 10:36.73, 15 pts.
 
200 Individual Medley (54 entries)
8. Gracie McKee (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown), 2:09.38, A Finals Qualifier
39. Birta Smaradottir (Mosfellsbær, Iceland/Commercial College of Iceland), 2:17.97
41. Tatum Rothermel (Halifax, Pa./Halifax), 2:18.31
45. Jade Ware (Easton, Pa./Wilson Area), 2:19.42
 
50 Freestyle (66 entries)
20. Ana Soto (Hamburg, N.J./Vernon Township), 24.41, C Finals Qualifier, 3rd all-time at KU
28. Frannie Pease-Wingenter (Goodyear, Ariz./Millennium), 24.93
57. Trinity Miller (Mount Pleasant, Pa./Mount Pleasant), 26.13
 
Finals – 6 p.m.
 
200 Individual Medley A Final (8 entries | 1st-8th)
6. Gracie McKee (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown), 2:06.59, 24 pts.
 
50 Freestyle C Final (8 entries | 17th-24th)
20. Ana Soto (Hamburg, N.J./Vernon Township), 24.44, 5 pts.
 
800 Freestyle Relay (12 teams)
11. Kutztown 'A' (Annamarie Rodier, Trinity Miller, Tatum Rothermel, Birta Smaradottir), 8:12.03, 32 pts.