Photo Courtesy of UR Athletics
The University of Rochester men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams kicked off their seasons this past weekend in the annual UR Invitational, welcoming Division I Canisius College along with UAA rivals Brandeis University and New York University to compete on Friday and Saturday. Over the course of the two days, both the men’s and women’s squads grabbed at least one victory—both topping Brandeis, while the women also defeated Canisius.
Two of the younger members of the ‘Jackets teams had perhaps the best performances of the weekend, with sophomore swimmer Annie Thayer and freshman diver Kasper Moczulski both receiving honors from the Liberty League for their performances.
After winning two events in the pool, Thayer was named the Liberty League Swimmer of the Week. The Framingham, MA native won the 200 butterfly and 400 individual medley, taking both by comfortable margins.
Thayer cruised to victory in the individual medley, finishing over six seconds ahead of the second place competitor.
In his first ever college-level meet, Moczulski was named Liberty League Diver of the Week, thanks to his fourth-place finish on Friday’s three-meter board event. He also earned fifth place on the one-meter board.
Moczulski and Thayer were not the only underclassmen who thrived. Sophomore Gunnar Zemering, who was a top swimmer as a freshman last year, won the 50 freestyle and finished second in the 100 freestyle.
A more established member of the team, junior Alex Veech, took home the win in the 100 breaststroke event—the only other event the ‘Jackets finished first in.
The ‘Jacket teams will next compete in a Halloween meet at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., a rematch of a meet that the UR men and women won last year. The swimmers and divers will then head to Grove City, Pa. to face Grove City College along with UAA foe Carnegie Mellon.
Shapiro is a member of the class of 2016.
