The Binghamton men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams traveled to Canisius on Saturday for a season-opening dual meet. Both teams came away with victories — the men won 169-125 while the women rallied back from behind to secure a 156-141 victory.

“We had a good meet [from] start to finish,” said Binghamton head coach Jerry Cummiskey. “Came out a little flat and got behind early on the women’s side and lost a couple of close races on the men’s side, but I thought both teams did a really good job of battling back and just taking care of what they needed to do.”

On the men’s side, senior Ryan Cohn took first place in both the one-meter and three-meter diving events. The Bearcat earned scores of 271.35 and 266.03, respectively.

“[Cohn] is the next guy up,” Cummiskey said. “On paper, he’s one of the best divers in the conference and he showed that [on Saturday] … He’s been strong and somebody we’re gonna definitely rely heavily on in the diving events.”

Freshmen David Ponce and Liam Preston won individual events in their collegiate debuts. Ponce took gold in the men’s 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:57.18, and Preston finished first in the 1000-yard freestyle in 9:48.86.

Additionally, BU took first place in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:25.51. Juniors Jake Vecchio, Liam Murphy and Henry Shemet, along with senior Justin Meyn, rounded off the winning team.

“It was definitely a group effort,” Cummiskey said. “Our depth really helped us survive some spots where Canisius was strong and our freshmen made an impact right away, which we love to see.”

Other winners included sophomore Elijah Lanfear in the 50-yard freestyle with a final time of 21.27, and Vecchio in the 100-yard backstroke, 52.97. Also, Meyn finished the 100-yard freestyle in 47.53, and junior Xiaoyu Lin won the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:09.14. Lastly, Lanfear, Vecchio, senior Ryan Maierle and junior Eric Kroon took the 200 medley relay in 1:33.80.

“Relays are worth more points,” Cummiskey said. “It’s a collective effort, so having strong relays is crucial for success … I think those close races and having to kind of grind out some close meets is only going to make us better.”

The women’s team was spearheaded by freshman Celia Webster, who won the women’s 200-yard backstroke and 100-yard fly in 2:08.77 and 59.77, respectively. Webster won her first collegiate individual event along with fellow freshman, Maria Pignatelli, who earned gold in the women’s 50-yard freestyle in 25.54. Pignatelli was also part of the 200-yard freestyle relay team, which included senior Alyssa Martin and juniors Molly Greeley and Maddie Hoover. They clocked in a winning time of 1:39.66.

“We got a great group of freshmen,” Cummiskey said. “I think they’re, as a group, going to collectively just continue to get better. They’re gonna be a big part of what we do, and that’s kind of the way it goes every year.”

Other winners on the women’s side were juniors Mel Carousso in the 1000 freestyle and Marley Zimmerman in the 500 freestyle. They registered times of 11:01.78 and 5:27.45, respectively.

Despite being behind for a majority of the meet, the women’s team made a late surge with back-to-back wins by Zimmerman in the 500 freestyle and Webster in the 100 butterfly. This gave BU a slight edge going into the final 200-free relay. The Bearcats took first and third in that race to secure their victory.

“I didn’t think that would be as close of a meet as it was,” Cummiskey said. “Canisius swam really well and got us in a couple spots, but we were really happy with the results in the end, and the fortitude for the women to battle back … That last relay, it really came down to the last stroke, so it was exciting.”

Both Binghamton teams return to the pool next Saturday, Oct. 22 against Bucknell. First race is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. at the Patricia A. Saunders Aquatic Center in Vestal, New York.

Senior Ryan Cohn swept the men’s diving events at Canisius with wins in the one and three-meter dives.