The Shippensburg University men's swimming team advanced nine individuals to finals on its first day of competition Friday at the Franklin and Marshall Invitational held at the Kunkel Aquatic Center.
 
Freshman Robbie Ferlick placed second overall in the finals of the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 20.98 seconds that surged him into the all-time top ten for the Raiders, placing second only behind school record holder Ed LaNoue. Ferlick's time of 21.07 seconds in prelims had originally slotted him fourth in school history before finals.
 
The night began with Ferlick, freshman Connor Ludwig, senior Matthew Beard, and freshman Mason Koeth in the 200-yard freestyle relay, placing third with a time of 1:24.15.
 
Junior David Johnson and graduate JC Greenwood represented the Raiders in the 500-yard freestyle, finishing 12th and 15th respectively. Both swam a time under 4:50, with Johnson's coming at finals and Greenwood's in the morning.
 
Koeth competed in the 200-yard IM, placing fourth with a time of 1:55.45. Senior Michael Salvatori won the B-final with a time of 1:54.91. Both entered the all-time top ten at Shippensburg with their times, with Salvatori slotting at seventh and Koeth at tenth. Junior Nathan VanNatter and freshman Cooper Mercer also competed in the 200 IM, placing 21st and 24th overall.
 
Along with Ferlick, Ludwig and Beard competed in the B-final of the 50-yard freestyle, placing 11th and 13th with times of 21.38 and 21.49. Ludwig dropped a second from his personal best and split a 20.75 in the second leg of the 200-freestyle relay.
 
The quartet of Koeth, VanNatter, Ferlick, and Ludwig ended the night finishing eighth in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:30.78.
 
Overall, 13 of the 15 individual swims at prelims satisfied the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) qualifying standards. The team sits in fourth in the team standings after the first day with 290 points. Saturday's prelims are set to begin at 10 a.m.
 
200 Free Relay
3. Robbie Ferlick, Connor Ludwig, Matthew Beard, Mason Koeth 1:24.15
Nathan VanNatter, Kevin Noldy, Zaidian Van Orden, Cooper Mercer 1:27.24
 
500 Free
12. David Johnson 4:48.43 (4:51.19p) (PSAC)
15. JC Greenwood 4:50.93 (4:48.88p) (PSAC)
 
200 IM
4. Mason Koeth 1:55.45 (1:56.88p) (PSAC)
9. Michael Salvatori 1:54.91 (1:58.88p) (PSAC)
21. Nathan VanNatter 2:00.39 (2:00.22p) (PSAC)
24. Cooper Mercer 2:02.01 (2:00.88p) (PSAC)
Nate Wauls 2:03.25
Luke Roettger 2:09.51
 
50 Free
2. Robbie Ferlick 20.98 (21.07p) (PSAC)
11. Connor Ludwig 21.38 (21.49p) (PSAC)
13. Matthew Beard 21.49 (21.57p) (PSAC)
Kevin Noldy 21.96 (PSAC)
Nathan VanNatter 22.03 (PSAC)
Zaidian Van Orden 22.44 (PSAC)
Mason Koeth 21.68x
 
400 Medley Relay
8. Mason Koeth, Nathan VanNatter, Robbie Ferlick, Connor Ludwig 3:30.78
Kevin Noldy, Nate Wauls, Luke Roettger, Matthew Beard 3:37.53