After falling to rival UMBC last week, the men’s swimming and diving team was looking to make a statement this weekend; after a dominating first place finish, it’s safe to say that statement was made.
The Binghamton University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams competed this weekend at the Bucknell Invitational. The men’s team placed first in the tournament, edging out host school Bucknell. The second day of the meet was when the men were especially stellar, capturing both relay events and five individual events.
“We really got on a roll,” said head coach Sean Clark.
The Bearcats performance was highlighted by senior David Holmes, who set a new school record in the 400-yard individual medley en route to a victory in the event, clocking in with a time of 3:56.79. The next closest finisher was sophomore teammate Brenno Varanda, who finished almost nine seconds behind Holmes.
Senior Brian Koizim also set a new school record in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:51.45.
The Bearcats also received clutch performances from their underclassmen. Veranda captured the title in the 200-yard breaststroke and sophomore Brian Koralewski and freshman Philip Dzieniszewski helped lead the Bearcats to victory in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
The women’s team had a disappointing performance, finishing last in the invitational, but the team was still able to post 30 lifetime best swims.
“It was a great meet on both sides,” Clark said. “There was a ton of Bearcat pride on display.”
The women’s team was led by sophomore Aleksandra Grubic and freshman Lindsay Wright, who both performed impressively in the 100-yard freestyle. Freshman Anne Malvasi finished in second on the three-meter dive.
Both the men’s and women’s teams will take on Cornell next week. The men hope to build on the momentum from this weekend, while the women hope to turn the tide against the Big Red.