PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Senior Grace McKay (Fair Lawn, N.J./Fair Lawn) established two new individual school records and helped the Pioneers set two new relay top times as the William Paterson women's swimming and diving team completed the first day of competition at the Metropolitan Championships Feb. 20.

McKay twice led off record-breaking relays with standard-setting individual top times of her own. She swam a 24.48 50 free to start the 200 free relay during the morning session, bettering the previous record of 24.62 posted by All-American Laurie Gazdalski during the 1994-95 season. Her time of 57.73 in the 100 back at the start of the 400 medley relay A Final bettered All-American Kristin Clegg's record of 57.91 (2004-05).

McKay, freshman Brett Kuchin (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East), freshman Lesly Mendoza (Passaic, N.J./Paramus Catholic) and senior Cathy Hartwell (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) posted the top 400 medley relay time in the preliminaries at 4:05.03, bettering the previous William Paterson record of 4:06.75 set by Katelyn Esposito, Caitlin Rotondo (Brick, N.J./Methacton), McKay and Hartwell at last year's Mets. The Pioneers were even faster in the final, as McKay, Rotondo, Mendoza and Hartwell broke the record they set earlier in the day with a time of 4:04.02 to finish fifth in the A Final.

The 200 free relay team of McKay, Rotondo, sophomore Tara Graham (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Hills) and Hartwell compiled a time of 1:40.75 in the preliminaries, breaking the record of 1:41.92 set by Tracy Bauman, Kim Stair, Jennifer Otis and Joyce Cigliano during the 1989-90 season. In the evening, McKay, Rotondo, Kuchin and Hartwell improved on the record with a time of 1:40.28 to finish fifth in the A Final.

Hartwell swam a time of 24.53 to finish seventh in the 50 free A Final, sophomore Lauren Horowitz (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) placed sixth in the 500 free C Final (5:28.92), Rotondo won the 200 IM C Final (2:19.03), and Kuchin touched fifth in the 200 IM C Final (2:21.11). 

Junior Giana Albruzzese (Parsippany, N.J./Parsippany) was sixth in the three-meter dive final (295.15), while junior Christine Sullivan (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional-Old Tappan) was 10th (245.20) and senior Casey Eustace (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) was 11th (201.50) in the prelims.

The Pioneers will compete in Day Two of the Metropolitan Championships on Saturday, Feb. 21.