After a two-week break from competition, the men’s swimming and diving team was back in action on Nov. 8. The Bison hosted a quad meet featuring conference opponents American, Lafayette, and Navy. The Orange and Blue came away with two head-to-head wins, as they lengthened impressive winning streaks against both American (246-­52) and Lafayette (229-­71). Unfortunately, the Bison were unable to pull off a perfect day, falling to Navy 168-­127.

Navy performed impressively across the board, closing the day with 11 first-place finishes in 16 events. Although the Mids dominated the top of the podium, the Bison compiled nine second-­place finishes, pulling them away from the Eagles and Leopards.

“The meet is useful because it provides a good indicator of where we stack up with the conference. Of course with Navy having won the last several league titles, it serves as a great measuring stick for the team,” head coach Dan Schinnerer said.

The Orange and Blue (4­-2, 3-­1 PL) put their youth on display, with Chris Devlin ’18 putting together the most impressive performance of the afternoon. Devlin dominated the backstroke, winning both the 100 and 200 by significant margins.

In the 100 back, Devlin was able to pen his name in the program’s record books with a time of 50.51. He also impressed in the 200 back, winning in 1:48.58, ranking him second in school history in the event. Jack Robinson ’17 followed behind to take second in the same race.

“My whole focus was to just train hard and help my team in any way, in any race I could,” Devlin said.

Other key contributors in the meet include Louis Behnen ’17 and Tyler Wenzel ’16. Behnen had a strong day all-around, with a victory in the 400 IM and second-place finishes in both the 500 free and 1,000 free.

Wenzel broke both program and personal records with a 283.70 score in the one-meter diving competition. He not only shattered his previously held third-place rank in school history, but improved on his personal best for the second time this season. His performance took first for the Bison. He also finished second in the three-meter board.

“I think our young student-athletes are performing very well. With both the men and women this year, we have a very nice mix of strong returning veterans and a talented group of first-years that add to our depth and talent,” Schinnerer said.

Despite a first-time Patriot League defeat this season, the Orange and Blue put up good competition for conference opponents early in the competitive season.

“I think it was a great opportunity to see Patriot League opponents this early. It gives us the chance to race some really great competition in our league, and shows us where we are right now in comparison to some of the other teams,” Devlin said.

The Bison have a long break before returning to Kinney Natatorium Nov. 21-­23 to host the Bucknell Invitational.