Subheadline: Women’s swimming and diving reach program’s best record since 2013-14 while men fall by 4 points

The Bison women’s swimming and diving team improved to an overall record of 8-1 after a solid victory over Lehigh on Jan. 26.  The Bison women outscored the Mountain Hawks 161-137, earning points from 28 top-three finishes. This is the highest score the team has had since entering the championships during the 2013-2014 season.

The impressive win came after the Bison celebrated their twelve seniors: Megan Barpoulis, Steph Boyd, Julie Byrne, Abigail Rosenberg, Lindsay Smalec, Mary Weinstein, Mitch Buccalo, Chadd Cummings, Vince Filippini, Tom Gannon, Charlie McFarland, and Jack Rogers. Collectively, the Bison Class of 2019 has earned an impressive 506.5 points at Patriot League Championships.

Byrne played a crucial role in the Bison’s success against Lehigh as she placed first in both the 100 and 200 backstroke.

“This has been the best season for the women’s in the fours years I have been on the team. I attribute our success to every woman who is a part of this team, as well as the women who have gone before us and set a great example for us,” Byrne said.

Not only did Byrne excel in the backstroke, but she was also the runner-up in the 200 IM.

She also joined teammates Weinstein, Alexis Faria ’22, and Megan Koczur ’21 for a victory in the 200 IM relay.

The Orange and Blue also placed first in five other events: Maddie Hartigan ’22 in the 500 freestyle, Abby Merriman ’20 in the 1,000 freestyle, Smalec in the 100 butterfly, Maggie Wyngowski ’21 in the 100 breaststroke, and Jessica Hurlburt ’22 in the 1-meter dive.

In the 100 butterfly, Faria and Rachel Hazard ’21 were right behind Smalec, securing each a top-three spot in that event for the Bison.

The team has been working extremely hard over the past five months.

“We have two practices a day, three days a week [and singles on the other three days]. As championships approach, we have started to back off on the hours and vigorous practices, and start to prepare ourselves and our bodies to be in the best possible shape,” Byrne said.

The Bison men’s swimming and diving team fought hard but fell to Lehigh with a final score of 149-145. The competition came down to the final 400 freestyle relay, and the Bison could not keep the small lead they had after the Mountain Hawks finished first and third in the final event.

Cummings made his name known in his last collegiate dual meet, finishing first in the 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, and contributing to the first-place winning 200 medley relay along with Jack Rose ’22, Liam Pitt ’22, and McFarland.

Cummings has been a huge asset to the men’s swimming and diving team, owning the program record in the 100 breaststroke and the second-best time in the 200 breaststroke. In the past three years, his performances have contributed to a total of 76 points at the Patriot League Championships.

Matt McGoey ’20 was another key contributor for the Bison, as he finished with two first-place victories in the 200 backstroke and 200 IM. He also tallied a second-place finish in the 200 freestyle.

Diver Garrett Sommer ’21 secured the win in the three-meter dive, earning a score of 268.43, which is currently the 7th best in school history. Sommer also earned points for the Bison in the one-meter dive, as he earned the runner-up position.

Both the men and women will have one more competition, the Bison Invite on Feb. 2, to prepare themselves for the Patriot League Championships. The prelims and the finals will both be hosted by the Bison during the last week in February.