The men's and women's swimming teams found themselves in unfamiliar waters on Saturday. However, the swimmers had no problem making themselves feel right at home.
The women's team (1-1) was determined to win and fought hard until the end, clinching a victory on its final race to defeat Colgate (0-1) 152.5-144.5. The men's team (2-0) swam well and dominated the Raiders, 165-104, to stay undefeated.
Trailing by a point heading into the last race of the match, the women's team lined up for the 200-yard freestyle. The Bulls relay teams took first and third place in the race, giving them 13 points, which was enough to lift them over Colgate.
The Bulls' A squad consisted of freshman Marissa Murphy, senior Jessie Koltz and sophomores Karly Moore and Caroline Simmons. The girls swam a great team race, finishing first in 1:35:96.
While the A squad put up notable numbers, the women's B squad finished in third to secure the victory for the Bulls. Sophomores Alex Swies and Logan Mason, along with seniors Jordan Deren and Catherine Scharf, finished just seconds behind their teammates with a time of 1:39.05.
The Bulls 200-yard medley relay team of Koltz, Simmons, Moore, and junior Alie Schirmers also finished first with an impressive time of 1:48:17.
Schirmers put forth an outstanding effort, winning three individual events to lead the Bulls. She dominated in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke and posted the best time in the 400-yard individual medley as she grabbed another victory with a time of 4:31.09.
Rounding out the individual races for the women's squad was Simmons, who won the 100-yard freestyle in 52.34 seconds. Murphy took the 50-yard freestyle in 24.30.
The men's team continued its early season dominance, as each of its four swimmers grabbed two first-place finishes at the meet.
Freshman Andrew Tanzey swam in the 1,000-yard freestyle and the 200-yard breaststroke, crossing the finish line first in both races with times of 9:48.23 and 2:13.63.
The Bulls sophomores followed suit, as Matt Schwippert swept both of his races. He finished first in both the 200-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle.
Fellow sophomore Cory Zorsch won the 100-yard backstroke in 59.33 and the 100-yard freestyle in 48.19. Sophomore Josh Meints swept both of his races in the 50-yard freestyle and the 200-yard backstroke.
Freshman Phil Aronica won the 200-yard butterfly in 1:54.93, while junior diver Colin Patrican placed first in the three-meter diving event.
The Bulls 200-yard medley relay team included Zorsch, Aronica, sophomore Christian Muller and freshman Mike Dugan. Buffalo won the race with a combined time of 1:35.13.
The women get back in the pool on Saturday at home to host Miami (Ohio) at 1 p.m. The men will have some time off before they travel to Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 6 for their next meet.
E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
Photo: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
