The Bison men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams competed in their Patriot League Challenge Meet against American and Loyola Maryland on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25. The women’s team won the first place title, while the men’s team finished in a close second.

The Bison women outscored the Greyhounds (994.5 points) and the Eagles (590 points), earning a total of 1,060.5 points. Major wins by Maddie Hartigan ’22 and Kate Gottwald ’24 led the team to victory. Hartigan won all four of her individual races and contributed as a member of three runner-up relay teams. Hartigan acquired the school record in not one but two events: the 100 and 1,000 relays. In addition, Gottwald secured a sweep in all the diving events for the fourth-straight meet. The Bison impressed all with a 1-2-3-4-5 in the 200 freestyle and 1-2-3-4 in the 400 IM. The Bison also placed three swimmers in the “A” Finals of the 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 butterfly and 200 backstroke.

The men’s swimming and diving team totaled 802 points putting them behind the Greyhounds (1,274.5) and ahead of the Eagles (434.5).

The Bison logged nine program top-10 marks on Sunday, securing 16 for the weekend. Will Cadwallader ’22 swept the boards by winning the 3-meter dive with a fantastic score of 277.15, now fifth in school history. On Saturday, he placed first on the 1-meter board. The other individual champion was Christian Stef ’23 in the 200 freestyle.

“Seeing as our season ended later in the year than usual, we have the hype and energy from the end of this season going into next season. By having a shortened and strange season, the team is hungry to get out and compete hard in a full on (hopefully COVID-free) season, so I think that many people will see next season as an extension of this past one,” said Cadwallader said.

After a successful abbreviated season for the Bison, the women’s team finished with a 3-0 Patriot League record and the men’s team finished with a 1-2 Patriot League record. Now, swimming and diving anticipate even bigger accomplishments in the upcoming season.