By Andrew Lichtenauer

Writer

Matthew Segar ’12 led the Bison men’s swimming team in a quad meet at Navy in Annapolis, Md. last weekend. Segar won both the 200 and 400 freestyle, leading the men’s team to a pair of Patriot League victories. The Bison defeated American (227-67) and Lafayette (226-72), but lost to host and rival Navy (152.5-128.5). Segar was also part of the gold medal-winning 400 free relay, as the Bison had six first-place showings altogether. Segar’s victories were impressive–-he won the 200 free by 1.16 seconds, and claimed the 400 free by just 0.02 seconds.

The Bison and Navy dominated the competition and combined to win all 14 of the events contested over the weekend. American and Lafayette combined had only four finishes in the top five until Navy started swimming exhibition races in the last three events.

The only other Bison individual to win a race at Navy was Eric Sokolosky ’12, who tied for first place in the 50 free with Navy’s Robbie Parker. Sokolosky was also part of the winning 400 free relay team with Segar, Thomas Brown ‘12 and Taylor Harris ’12.

“Facing Navy is definitely a challenge, but always a welcome one. They are a powerhouse team with a lot of talent and depth, so competing against them is often a test of our own training and perseverance,” Sokolosky said. “I’m proud of the way our team performed this weekend and look forward to facing Navy and the other schools in the league for PL championships in March.”

Long-course training over the summer contributed to the Bison’s success in the quad meet at Navy.

“We’ve all done long-course training when possible this year, which was beneficial in preparing us for the quad meet,” Sokolosky said. 

Mike Nicholson ’14 posted two wins late in the meet, winning both the 100 fly and 200 IM. Nicholson, Christian Treat ’13, Sokolosky and Brown also teamed up to take the silver medal in the 400 medley relay. Brown was also the Bison’s top finisher in the 100 back at fourth place and 200 back at second place.

Jon Jones ’15 was the only Bison to compete in the diving events, and finished fourth in the three-meter and second in the one-meter. His score of 232.65 in the three-meter ranks him sixth in program history.

For Segar, the quad meet at Navy gives the team some perspective.

“As a team, the quad meet let us know that we can compete against the best, but we still have a long way to go before we see Navy again at the end of the season,” Segar said. 

The Bison return to the pool in two weeks when they host the three-day Bison Invitational in Kinney Natatorium on Nov. 18-20.