TU takes home two CAA Championships
Volleyball and Men’s Swimming & Diving win conference titles
By Kyle Hobstetter on April 5, 2021
This weekend, Towson became known as Titletown. That’s because two Towson University Athletics’ teams won Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships.
On Saturday, TU claimed conference titles in both volleyball and swimming & diving within hours of one another.
The men’s swimming and diving team won its first CAA Championship in program history. Swimming competed at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center in Christiansburg, Va., while the diving competition took place at the University of Delaware.
While this was the team’s first CAA Championship. It was the Tigers’ first conference championship since the 1981-82 season. As his team traveled back to Towson after the event, head coach Jake Shrum couldn’t help but think of the passionate alumni from the past that made this possible
“We’ve been really fortunate to still have a very passionate alumni base going back to the start of the program that supports our men’s team through thick and thin,” Shrum says. “While every team didn’t have the same level of success, we know that a lot of people have put a lot of time and effort into making our team as good as it possibly could be.
“We know how much winning this title means to all of them, so we’re incredibly proud to be able to share this moment with them.”
The Tigers won in dominating fashion, racking up 842.50 points, well over 200 points more than second place UNC Wilmington's 619 points. Drexel finished third with 531 while William & Mary (495.50) and Delaware (491) rounded out the field.
The Tigers also racked up the individual awards as well. Shrum was named CAA Men's Coach of the Year while record-setting freshman Brian Benzing was tapped as the Most Outstanding Performer for the Championship.
Benzing set two records in the 100-yard breaststroke Friday, doing so in both the preliminary round and the finals for the gold.
The Tigers also picked up wins throughout the competition. Michael Fazio nabbed a gold medal in the 100-yard freestyle. Benzing took second in the 200-yard breaststroke. Senior Nick McClure won gold in the 200-yard butterfly title in his last race as a Tiger. Ryan Baldino won gold in the 200-yard freestyle,
The Tigers also dominated in relay events, winning four over the three-day competition. This includes the 400-yard freestyle relay, the 800-yard freestyle relay, the 200-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard medley relay.
What’s exciting for the future is the Tigers only graduate three seniors — Nick Fitzwilliam, Will Canny and McClure. As they leave on top, Shrum wanted to make sure to credit them for their leadership over the last year.
“They were absolutely the leaders that we needed this season,” Shrum says. “Nick Fitzwilliam and Will Canny were exemplary captains this year, which presented even more of a burden than usual. They were fantastic in getting our team to enjoy being at practices and getting the most out of them.”
Back home on the TU campus, the Tigers volleyball team won its second straight CAA Volleyball Championship, defeating Northeastern 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at SECU Arena. TU earned the finals berth by defeating Charleston in three-straight sets on Friday.
The Tigers finish the season undefeated at 6-0, and have won 18-19 sets they played during the shortened spring season. After winning its first championship in over a decade last season, head coach Don Metil thought this year's title win was just as special as last year.
"What makes the 2020 one special is two-fold. First, we battled adversity, Covid-19, and coming out of a pause in training just in time to compete for the CAA title," Metil says. A lot of people didn’t think we had proved ourselves to even be part of the modified four team tourney, let alone win back-to-back titles for the first time in school history.
"Second, we had numerous athletes to replace from our 2019 squad, and these young ladies really stepped up and filled roles that allowed us to compete at a consistently high level."
Freshman outside hitter Nina Cajic was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, while Kristin Spengler and Lydia Wiers also made the All-Tournament team.
Along with earning All-Tournament honors, four Tigers earned All-CAA honors for their work during the season. Freshman Cajic was selected to both the First Team All-CAA and a spot on the All-Rookie Team. Wiers and junior Emily Jarome were selected Second Team All-CAA while freshman Aayinde Smith was named All-Rookie.
Along with picking up honors throughout the year, Metil says the best thing about the weekend was winning the championship at SECU Arena.
"Earning the right to celebrate on your home court is a memory that will stay with all of us forever," Metil says. "During a time that has had its low points surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, this will be a positive memory that makes this past year a little easier when we think back on it."
With the win, the Tigers have earned a trip to its second-straight NCAA Tournament, where they will take on Dayton in the first round April 14 at Omaha, Neb. The winner will then play the next day against No. 6 seed Washington.
Towson and the Flyers will meet for the fourth time in program history. Dayton has won the previous three matches. The April 14 showdown will be the first meeting between the teams since the 2008 season. It will be the first neutral site meeting between Towson and Dayton.
"Hopefully our athletes that participated in the 2019 NCAA tournament can call upon those performances as we will need big moments from all of our returners against a dominant A-10 program (in Dayton)," Metil says. "This will be my second time with two different programs going back-to-back into the NCAA tournament, so hopefully I can help manage the game and support the team the best I know how along with assistance from my staff.”