In what Coach Nick Cavataro called "one our best single meet race days ever", the Iona University Men's and Women's Team came away with a medal, title and point bonanza and is positioned for a strong third and final day of competition at the ECAC Winter Championships.
 
Full results can be found at http://www.besmarttinc.com/ECAC/Winter/choice.htm .
 
Cavataro, in his 44th season has seen many strong days for the Gaels; however, the nine gold medals and a big point push by the men and women near the top of a short list of Gael single day achievements, highlighted by six individual titles and three relay wins.
 
The Iona men have nearly locked down the men's team title, leading Monmouth University with 1,481.5 points to 1033-points. Adelphi is in third at 843. The Iona women – with 944-points - jumped from fifth to third and are in striking distance of Monmouth at 1001.5-points and Siena with 996-points. 
 
Impressive for the Iona women were their first pair of gold medals in ECAC competition with freshmen backstroker Raegan O'Brien striking gold in the 100-yard Backstroke at 56.84 and then combining with Kate Kennedy (1:55.67) , Mary Grace Waring (1:55.23) and Megan Josephs (1:53.46) to win the 800-Freestyle Relay at 7:42.27 for a come from behind win after O'Brien's lead-off leg of 1:57.91.
 
The Iona women saw Brennyn Veit and Anabel Huffstutler place ninth and tenth with respective times of 4:37. 19 and 4:39.84 in the 400-Individual Medley. Senior co-captain Ashley Benkert took sixth in the 100-Butterfly at 57.78. Megan Josephs (1:53.57) took bronze in the 200-Free with Kennedy (1:54.74) fifth; O'Brien (1:56.43) seventh and Waring (1:56.76) tenth.
 
Graduate student Julia Moser claimed silver in the 100-Breatstsroke at 1:04.46, with freshmen Hailey Baker seventh at 1:05.84 and Veit (1:06.75) ninth. Allision Mullin (1:00.24) and Julia Hulse (1:00.360 were fifteenth and sixteenth in the 100-Back. Sophomore diver, Emma Todd took fifth in the women's 3-Meter Springboard.
 
The Iona men dominated from the start, taking the opening session 200-yard Medley Relay with the quartet of Michael Faughnan (22.09), Matthew Loftus (24.30), Brian Baldwin (22.32) and Nick Patino (20.31) posting a winning time of 1:29.02.
 
Kieran Egan (1:39.23), Nate Wales (1:41.74), Harry Platt (1:40.68) and Faughnan (1:37.18) combined to win the 800-Free Relay at 6:38.83 to close the session.
 
In between Egan took the 100-yard Butterfly gold at 48.49, with Baldwin (49.93) fifth; Liam Pyatt (50.21) in ninth; Mikel Palaj (50.22) was tenth.
 
Junior Diver Dyland Riccio and freshmen Joel Picard took their second gold and silver medals respectively each, finish up up on the 1-Meter Springboard and earning Coach Maureen Arnold "Coach-of-the Meet" and Riccio "Diver-of-the-Meet honors".
 
Faughan won the 200-Free at 1:35.12 with teammates Wales (1:40.43) in fourth; Elijah Decasseres sixth (1:41.56); Harry Platt seventh (1:41.98); James Cash (1:44.01) twelfth; Robert Heim (1:44.73) thirteenth; Andrew Diano (1:45.98) fourteenth and Chase Bateman (1:46.47z) fifteenth.
 
Then men's 400-IM had Giunta (4:05.16) and Matt Woyksnar (4:07.60) place fifth and sixth, respectively.
 
Senior Matthew Loftus struck gold in the 100-Breaststroke with a 55.50 time, with Nick Patino and Mikel Palaj going 56.95 and 57.17, respectively for ninth and tenth spots.
 
The days final men's individual event, the 100-Backstroke was dominated by Iona with Faughnan taking his third individual gold medal at 47.28, with five teammates behind him in the top nine spots including: Egan (49.97) for third; Noah Giunta (50.19) for fourth; Wales (50.25) in fifth; Baldwin (52.61) in eighth and Liam Pyatt taking the consolation final for ninth at 50.54.
 
Then meet wraps on Sunday at the Nassau County Aquatic Complex with preliminaries for the 200-Backstroke, 100-Freestyle, 200-Breaststroke, 200-Butterfly and 1,650-Freestyle at 9am, with finals at 4pm.