Many sports enthusiasts would call this year’s men’s swimming and diving season a rebuilding one.
While UR has posted solid team representations throughout the season, it’s hard to get around the overwhelming quantity of 2013 and 2014 graduates that constitute the bulk of the team’s roster: a staggering seven sophomores and eleven freshmen swarm the 22-man list.
It was no surprise, then, that it was these same underclassmen who provided the bulk of the points in Friday’s 171-127 loss to a much more seasoned Cortland State College team.
Freshman Monte Jiran sparked the young team’s efforts by taking the first of a four-race string of Yellowjacket victories. Jiran posted a final time of 10:21.98 in the 1000-yard freestyle — the first victory of his collegiate career,
Sophomore Christian Vu was next up in the 200 yard freestyle. In a down-to-the-wire finish-and with his teammates roaring at him from both sides, their sense of urgency echoing throughout the pool house-Vu grasped the wall less than a second before an opposing Red Dragon-seven one-hundredths of a second, to be precise. Classmate Adam Bossert kept the streak alive in the 100-yard breaststroke, winning in 1:02.17.
Sophomore Evan Jones supplied strong performances in a medley of freestyle distances throughout the day, putting up points in the 1000-yard freestyle (second place, 10:24.82), 500-yard freestyle (third, 5:03.55) and 200-yard freestyle (fourth, 1:57.50).
Elliott Lasher wrapped up a dominating day for the class of 2013 with a second place finish on the three-meter board (234.6) and third place on the one-meter (225.15). Freshman Zach Howard (201.4, 197.65) took third and fourth in the same respective events.
Senior Kevin Howard was the lone upperclassman to deliver many points for the home team, but his contribution was unparalleled by any of his freshman or sophomore teammates. Howard claimed victory in the 100-yard backstroke (54.47), the 200-yard backstroke (1:58.66) and the 100 yard butterfly (55.32).
Sophomores ran the show on the women’s side as well. Corinne Lampe led the equally strong female class with wins in both the 1000-yard freestyle (11:10.98) and 500-yard freestyle (5:29.49). She added a third in the 200-yard butterfly, finishing in 2:20.98.
Classmate Megan Lawless threw in a win in the 200-yard freestyle (2:01.51) to bring the grand total of sophomore wins on the day (for both genders) to five.
Senior Val Atwood posted the only other individual UR win, a 1:00.67 finish in the 100-yard backstroke, and followed up later with a second-place (2:16.88) in the 200-yard backstroke.
Classmate Cailee Caldwell carried more than her fair share of the day’s load, compiling an exhausting regimen that included second places in the 100-yard backstroke (1:10.65) and 500-yard freestyle (5:31.33) and third in the 200-yard freestyle (2:02.18) while helping guide the 400-yard freestyle relay (which included Lawless, Atwood, and senior Dayna Jacob) to yet another second place (3:48.13).
On the boards, sophomores again led the way. Megan Braun and Sara Spielman excelled on the three-meter board, nabbing second (214.75) and fourth (211.25) respectively. Junior Rachel deLahunta added third (212.90) in the event and was the Yellowjackets’ top finisher on the one meter board.
Bernstein is a member of the class of 2014.
