CANTON, Ohio -- Fairmont State's Majester Abdul-Jalil was a winner in the 200 breaststroke and Zsofi Bevardi, Pedro Gaspar and Emily Gersper each turned in top-three finishes on Saturday evening during the final day of the GMAC/MEC Swimming and Diving Championships in Canton, Ohio.

In the team race, Hillsdale won the GMAC/MEC women's title with 1,691 points at this week's meet. UNC Pembroke earned the MEC Championship by posting the highest finish among conference schools with 715 points. Fairmont State finished runner-up for the MEC crown with 648 points.

On the men's side, Findlay successfully defended its GMAC/MEC title for a third-straight year with 1,559 points. Notre Dame was the highest-finishing team from the MEC with 811 points to earn the distinction of MEC Champion. Fairmont State also finished runner-up for the MEC men's title with 797 points.
 
Abdul-Jalil successfully defended his title in the 200 breastroke on Saturday evening by winning with a time of 2:04.02. His teammate Tyler Virtue was sixth in the A-final race with a time of 2:10.84. The duo earned first and second team All-MEC honors in the event.

In the men's 1,650, Fairmont State's Pedro Gaspar notched a third-place finish with a time of 16:50.97. Notre Dame's Daniel Alvarez was just behind him in fourth with a time of 17:01.15. Fairmont State's Ricard Castan swam in the morning and posted a time of 17:09.01, which stood up for sixth place in the race. Davis & Elkins' Ryan Clement was seventh (17:14.12), and NDC's Josh Grzincic was eighth (17:28.64) in the event. Gaspar was a first team selection in the event, while Castan earned honorable mention All-MEC.

Fairmont State's 400 free relay team of Gaspar, Castan, Nathan Fubio and Virtue finished fifth in the final relay event of the championship with a time of 3:12.02) – the second-fastest time by an MEC program in the event.
 
Fubio and Tyler Ridgle both qualified for the C-final in the men's 100 freestyle and came in first and third, respectively in the heat. They both finished with top 20 finishes in the event. Castan was Fairmont's top finisher in the 200 backstroke after qualifying for the B-final and finishing in 11^th place in the event.

In the women's 1,650, UNC Pembroke's Nathalia Silva swam in the morning and posted a time of 17:21.27, which set a new meet record. In the evening session of the timed final event, Silva's time stood up as Fairmont State's Zsofi Bevardi won the evening heat but took second with a time of 17:32.80 in the event.
 
In the 200 breaststroke, Fairmont State's Emily Gersper was runner-up behind Findlay's Hanna Cederholm, who was the Swimmer of the Meet, with a time of 2:22.54.

Fairmont State's Courtney Deem swam in the championship final of the 100 freestyle and finished eighth with a time of 53.70. Fairmont State's Makayla Burns also qualified for the C-final in the 200 backstroke event and took 23^rd place overall with a time of 2:27.84.

In the final women's event of the meet, UNC Pembroke took fourth in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:37.22. Notre Dame was fifth (3:40.05) and Fairmont State was sixth (3:42.38). All three programs earned MEC honors with the finishes.


All-MEC Honorees:

Women 1,650 Freestyle
First Team All-MEC: Nathalia Silva (UNCP)
Second Team All-MEC: Zsofi Bevardi (FAIR)
Honorable Mention All-MEC: Hannah Berlin (NDC)

Men 1,650 Freestyle
First Team All-MEC: Pedro Gaspar (FAIR)
Second Team All-MEC: Daniel Alvarez (NDC)
Honorable Mention All-MEC: Ricard Castan (FAIR)

Women 100 Freestyle
First Team All-MEC: Mariel Mencia Martinez (UNCP)
Second Team All-MEC: Courtney Deem (FAIR)
Honorable Mention All-MEC: Alexis Torosian (NDC)

Men 100 Freestyle
First Team All-MEC: Arthur Assfeld (WVWC)
Second Team All-MEC: Roan Kelleher (NDC)
Honorable Mention All-MEC: Jiwh Santos (DE)

Women 200 Backstroke
First Team All-MEC: Amanda Schlor (WVWC)
Second Team All-MEC:  Jamie Boulier (DE)
Honorable Mention All-MEC: Hannah Cook (WVWC)

Men 200 Backstroke
First Team All-MEC: Anthony Giuseppetti (FROST)
Second Team All-MEC: Adonis Thomas (NDC)
Honorable Mention All-MEC: Geoff Dixon (DE)

Women 200 Breaststroke
First Team All-MEC: Emily Gersper (FAIR)
Second Team All-MEC: Ketlyn Rodriguez Matos (UNCP)
Honorable Mention All-MEC: Kay Lange (WVWC)

Men 200 Breaststroke
First Team All-MEC: Majester Abdul-Jalil (FAIR)
Second Team All-MEC: Tyler Virtue (FAIR)
Honorable Mention All-MEC: Jonathan McIntosh (NDC)

Women 400 Freestyle Relay
First Team All-MEC: UNC Pembroke (Nathalia Silva, Sarah Morden,  Ketlyn Rodriguez Matos, Mariel Mencia Martinez)
Second Team All-MEC: Notre Dame (Brooke Dobrzanski, Brionna Costanzo, Irelan Ming, Alexis Torosian)
Honorable Mention All-MEC: Fairmont State (Zsofi Bevardi, Eulalia Castan, Monique Dias, Courtney Deem)

Men 400 Freestyle Relay
First Team All-MEC: West Virginia Wesleyan (Arthur Assfeld, Marc Bennett, Michael McAlpine, Logan Knoyer)
Second Team All-MEC: Fairmont State (Pedro Gaspar, Ricard Castan, Nathan Fubio, Tyler Virtue)
Honorable Mention All-MEC: Frostburg State (Anthony Giuseppetti, Luke Russell, Quincy Page, Brady Peterson)