Swimming top local rivals

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams each came up with two telling wins against SUNY Brockport and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in their first meets of the season. The men won the Brockport meet 127-90 on Saturday and beat RPI 123.5-117.5 a week earlier. The women pulled off a convincing 156-81 victory over Brockport and topped RPI 129-107.For the men, the Brockport victory was essential. “Brockport was a meet we expected to win,” Head Coach Eric Stefanski said. “We swam very well, we’re right where we should be at this time of year.”Rochester swept both diving events, with sophomore Ted Elton taking the one-meter board with a score of 216.15 and the three-meter board with a score of 207.35.Freshman Zach Freed also contributed with wins in the 200-meter butterfly and the 500-meter freestyle. He finished the butterfly with a time of 2:06.01 and the freestyle in 5:00.49.Freshman Craig Matt swam the 1,000-meter freestyle in 10:16.55 for a first place finish and senior Mike Tynan placed first in the 200-meter freestyle in 1:54.60.Another impressive victory came from junior Pete Maxwell, who won the 200-meter backstroke in 2:04.74.The victory over Brockport was a solid one. “We swam well,” Stefanski said. “We’re where we should be at this time of year.”A week earlier, UR made history at the Speegle Wilbraham Aquatic Center by beating RPI for the first time ever. In an exciting meet that came down to the last event – the 400-meter freestyle relay – UR finished in front.”The RPI win started what looks to be a strong year,” Stefanski said. “This puts UR on the map as a team that can do some damage.”In addition to the team win, two Yellowjackets earned individual honors for their performances against RPI. Freed was the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association Rookie Swimmer of the Week and Matt was named UAA Swimmer of the Week.Freed won the 1,000 freestyle in 10:18.58, Matt took first in the 500 freestyle by posting a time of 4:58.61.Other standout performances came from Maxwell, in the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.91 and Elton with second place finishes in the one- and three-meter events.UR’s 400-meter freestyle relay team – Maxwell, sophomore Ian Areces, Freed and senior Mike McCormick – came in strong with a time of 3:22.08, good for first place.”It was the first time the men defeated RPI,” Stefanski said. “We swam strong, showing great spirit.”Women’s resultsThe women’s win against Brockport was thorough – they won nine swimming events and one diving event to take the victory.”We expected to win against Brockport,” Stefanki said. “It was a strong performance overall.”Freshman Kari Joyce was one of two multiple winners for UR. She won the 1,000 freestyle in 11:07.98 and the 200 backstroke in 2:18.46. Fellow freshman Karen Gromer also won two events, taking first in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:15.17 and the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:25.28.Freshman Michele Gruen won the 200 freestyle in 2:04.83, junior Vicky Lincoln took the 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2:36.85 and junior Patricia McHale scored 187.65 in the one-meter dive and 222.10 in the three-meter dive.”We were determined to swim fast and show both conferences that we’re capable of putting up some fast times,” Stefanski said. For the women, the win against RPI was expected. Several team members posted strong performances.Joyce won the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:02.02 and the 100 freestyle in 55.79, freshman Leah Burn took the 50 freestyle in 26.26 and the 100 butterfly in 1:02.14 and Gruen took the 500 freestyle in 5:29.43.The 400-meter medley relay team, made up of senior Liz Fowler, Lincoln, Burn and sophomore Kathryn Monti, also posted a strong victory with a time of 4:19.80.”The women swam enthusiastically and showed a desire to be the top team in the UCAA,” Stefanski said.Looking AheadThis weekend, both teams will host the Harvest Relays and are gearing up for their meet against UCAA rivals Union College on Nov. 15 at Union College.For the men, the Union match will be a challenge. “We’re looking ahead to Union,” Stefanski said. “They are a strong team with a lot of depth on paper – we’ll have to swim our best in order to beat them.” Although the season is young, the swimmers have their work cut out for them.Additional reporting by Allen Fitzsmmons.Taylor can be reached at ktaylor@campustimes.org.