Georgetown swimming and diving finished the first half of its season on a high note, as the men and women placed second and third, respectively, at the Bucknell Invite on Nov. 17 to 19.

The team broke nine program records at the tournament and improved significantly from last year’s performance, in which both the men and women placed fifth.

Head Coach Jack Leavitt credited the success to the team’s extensive preparation.

“We came in with a clear focus of what we wanted to accomplish, and we reached a lot of those goals. We circle this meet on the calendar as one we have to swim fast at and treat it as a dress rehearsal for the Big East Championship,” Leavitt said.

Senior Molly Fitzpatrick and freshman Drew Carbone were each honored as Big East Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week. It was Carbone’s second week in a row receiving this honor.

Fitzpatrick swept both breaststroke events with times of 1:01.65 and 2:13.37 in the 100- and 200-yard events respectively. Carbone broke five school records over the tournament, including in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100- and 200-yard backstroke.

“We put in a lot of good work in the fall, which we showed off this weekend and had awesome swims across the board,” Fitzpatrick said. “We will carry that as motivation through the rest of the season.”

This season, the team worked on increasing yardage and aerobic training to build stamina, according to Carbone. Before the meet, the team fine-tuned racing skills and focused on speed work.

“The team had a great meet, and it was a testament to our preparations. We all put the work in and it showed in the results,” Carbone said.

Carbone said the team showed both mental and physical stamina throughout the weekend in Lewisburg, Pa.

“I had essentially 10 swims in one weekend, so I knew I needed to prepare for the yardage and the speed,” Carbone said. “It takes a lot of mental toughness to power through.”

Fitzpatrick said she maintained her energy by building excitement for her races.

“The 200-yard breaststroke is my favorite event,” Fitzpatrick said. “I focused on having fun and realizing that I have put in a lot of hard work. It was my last Bucknell Invitational, so I had to go for it and not focus on the fact that I had been racing two days prior.”

Fitzpatrick is using her last year on the team to enjoy her time in the pool with her teammates.

“I come [to the pool] every day to train and take as much advantage as I can of all of the opportunities I have here. I am having fun and remembering why I still like this sport so much,” Fitzpatrick said.

Carbone said he is confident in the team’s training, as it looks to channel its momentum ahead of the Big East Championships in February.

“I have really enjoyed these first three months. We trusted the training, and it paid off. I am excited and looking forward to continuing our performance,” Carbone said.

The team has been improving throughout the year, according to Fitzpatrick.

“We have really stepped it up this year,” Fitzpatrick said. “I am looking forward to seeing how that will evolve for the second half of the season, after already seeing big changes made since the fall.”

The team is set to travel to Bermuda for a training trip over winter break and to return to competition Saturday, Jan. 13 against The George Washington University and American University at American’s Reeves Aquatic Center.