The men and the women of swim and dive took on Le Moyne College at Teagle Pool on Saturday. The men, coming off a win against Brown University, looked to further their momentum with the Ivy League Championships in sight, while the women’s team sought redemption following a loss against the Bears.
After the scores were tallied, both teams emerged victorious. The men won 201-91, winning all 16 events and the women won 203-91, winning 14 of 16 events.
The women’s victory against the Dolphins was their largest since a 247-50 triumph over Calvin University in December 2016.
Men’s head coach Wes Newman ’09 said that, despite the Dolphins’ large margin of defeat, they are a program on the rise.
“Le Moyne has done a really nice job with their program in recent years,” Newman said. “They’ve recently moved to Division I, so they’re adjusting a little bit to that, but they’re continuing to improve and grow as a program.”
It was not the usual suspects owning the men’s top performances. Senior Mac Marsh, having won three gold medals throughout his entire career to this point, won four against the Dolphins. He finished first in the 50-yard freestyle, the 50-yard breaststroke, the 200-yard medley relay and swam in the victorious 400-yard freestyle relay.
In the same vein, junior Michael Wywrocki’s performance also came out of left field, winning three gold medals against the Dolphins despite only having won one throughout his previous races. Wywrocki triumphed in the 100-yard backstroke, the 100-yard butterfly and the 200-yard medley relay.
Newman explained that the Red’s strategy for this meet gave less-heralded swimmers an opportunity to win big.
“We decided to swim our strongest athletes in events they don’t always swim,” Newman said. “That gives opportunities to the other guys, which is what you see in [Marsh and Wywrocki]. They both swam really well and we’re excited to see that.”
Seniors Jacques Grove, Andrew Lin and Daniel Simoes, along with sophomore Gabe Anagnoson also earned multiple gold medals. Grove won the 100-yard freestyle and swam in the winning 400-yard freestyle relay. Lin defeated all opposition in the 200-yard freestyle and also swam in the winning 400-yard freestyle relay. Simoes won the 100-yard breaststroke and anchored the winning 400-yard freestyle relay. Anagnoson emerged victorious in the 50-yard backstroke and the 200-yard medley relay.
According to Newman, Lin was happy that his senior season was able to come to an amiable conclusion, since he had faced difficulties earlier in the season.
“[Lin] hasn’t had the best senior campaign, but he was really excited to see strong performances at the end [of the season],” Newman said. “Things kind of came together [for him.]”
The women’s team also dominated the meet.
Four notable athletes won gold medals: senior Kate Li, a seasoned winner, earned two gold medals, freshman Isabel Peng won another two golds, building her career total to three; freshman Lilla Kuziemko won one and freshman Arina Vorobyeva also won one.
Li triumphed in the 100-yard backstroke and anchored the winning 200-yard medley relay. Peng won the 50-yard butterfly and the 100-yard butterfly. Kuziemko vanquished all opposition in the 1-meter dive and the 3-meter dive. Lastly, Vorobyevna bested all opposition in the 100-yard freestyle, the first win of her career.
Similar to the men’s team approach, the women team’s wins may have resulted from a change in strategy: placing the athletes in events they don’t normally compete in.
Li did not swim her usual event, freestyle, which allowed Peng to step into her place. Despite Li’s change in event, she persevered and came out on top. Kuziemko’s performance, on the other hand, was par for the course, as she has won two medals over the course of the season before this duel.
The Red’s focus is now on the impending Ivy League Championship meet. Over the course of four days, all eight institutions will battle to determine who has the best aquatic prowess. The contest will begin on Feb. 18, end on Feb. 21 and take place in Providence, Rhode Island.
