Elliott Lasher maintains form in a recent dive. Courtesy of www.rochester.edu.
The UR men’s and women’s swim teams were right at home this past week, swimming in front of their classmates and relatives at the Webster Aquatic Complex in downtown Rochester. Despite the support, the Yellowjackets struggled to keep pace with the rest of the deeply talented league, which features some of the nation’s most talented Division III swimmers and divers in the nation.
For the men, day one featured sophomore Elliott Lasher, who took seventh place on the one-meter diving board, which qualified him for the finals. Classmate Evan Jones claimed 16th overall to lead the Yellowjackets’ effort in the 500-yard freestyle on day two.
The men saved the best for last, however, as three school records fell on the final day of competition. The team of seniors Kevin Howard and Graham Bowman, sophomore Adam Bossert and freshman Alex King broke the 200-yard Medley Relay record of 1:35.99, finishing two one-hundredths of a second faster than the previous record. Bossert and Howard both set individual records later that day, Bossert in the 100 breaststroke (58.83) and Howard in the 100 backstroke (52.30). Bossert’s performance broke a 29-year-old record.
Junior Rachel deLahunta led the womens’ boards, as she finished third on the 3-meter with a score of 390.40. DeLahunta upped her score and maintained this position in the finals, taking third with 394.85.
On the final day of competition, a trio of seniors (Val Atwood, Dayna Jacob and Cailee Caldwell) teamed with junior Emily Scott to record the second fastest 200-yard freestyle relay time in school history (1:38.60).
But, as with the men, late performances lent a sense of finale to the week-long event. Freshman Karen Meess posted two NCAA provisional marks in the 100 backstroke (58.09) and 200 backstroke (2:05.73) — both school records — while breaking a third one in the 50 backstroke (27.18).
Bernstein is a member of the class of 2014.
