Last Saturday, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams traveled to Lehigh University to face the Mountain Hawks, a conference rival, in their final dual meets of the season. The women’s team was able to defeat Lehigh for a historic victory, while the men were unable to overcome a tough Mountain Hawk team.

The meet was a historic day for the women’s team. For the sixth time in program history, the Bison were able to reach ten wins or more in a single season of competition. They stand at 10-1 after the win, while their Patriot League record improved to 7-1. The Bison also hold an incredible 18-2 dual meet record over the past two years, with both losses coming to reigning champion Navy.

Meanwhile, the men’s team was unable to overcome a strong showing by the Mountain Hawks but still had some great performances. Lehigh was able to take down the Bison by a margin of 195-93. Jacobs Pool was crowded as the Mountain Hawks were able to send their seniors out on a winning note. The Mountain Hawks now hold a 6-1 record and will have some time to rest before they enter the Patriot League championships in February.

Behind 10 individual event wins, the women’s team was able to capture a 166-132 victory over Lehigh and complete their dual meet season. Six Bison accounted for those 10 individual wins. Emma Hadley ’20, a 2017 first team All-Patriot League selection, was able to capture wins in the 100 and 200 backstrokes while posting times of 56.79  and 2:04.09, respectively. Catherine Craig ’23 was also able to secure wins in the 100 breaststrokes (1:05.89) and the 200 breaststroke (2:21.37). Alexis Faria ’22 won both the 100 and 200 butterfly (56.93 and 2:04.82). Abby Merriman ’20 also added wins in the 500 freestyle (5:05.85) and the 1,000 freestyle (10:24.44). The Bison also captured wins from Maddie Hartigan ’22 (200 freestyle; 1:51.40) and Maggie Wyngowski ’21 (400 IM; 4:24.82).

Despite the loss,  the men’s team still had plenty to be happy about. Sean Quinn ’22 won the 400 IM while posting an impressive time of 4:08.28. Alan Flower ’23 also took home first place in the 1,000 freestyle with a time of  9:45.59. While in diving, Nick Pirone ’23 was able to capture a win in the 3-meter dive with a score of 244.50.

“It was a hard-fought meet with all of our guys putting their best efforts forward to try to achieve one of our season goals. While we fell short, we have a great deal of confidence in ourselves as we approach the last stretch of the season. We are ready to meet the challenge that the Patriot League Championships will bring in a few weeks,” Jacob Lubinski ’21 said.

These three performances by underclassmen exemplify an extremely young and talented team. The roster includes 18 underclassmen and will only be losing two seniors this season to graduation: Matt McGoey ’20, a two-time All-Patriot League 2nd team selection, and Michael Park ’20. This year’s roster also includes nine new members that are excited to contribute to the team’s success.

This competition was both teams’ last dual meet of the season. Both the men’s and women’s teams will travel to the Navy Invite on Feb. 1. This will serve as a final tune-up before the Patriot League Championships begin on Feb. 19.