ITHACA, N.Y. - The Ithaca College men's swimming and diving team wrapped up the 14th Annual Bomber Invitational with a commanding performance on the third and final day inside Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium, finishing first overall with 2,797 points. The Bombers nearly doubled the score of second-place University of Rochester (1,417) and showcased depth across all events.
The day began with the 1650-yard freestyle, where Ithaca placed six swimmers in the top 10.
Bennett Molitor-Kirsch led the Bombers with a third-place finish in 16:17.95, followed by
James Kissel in fourth (16:24.78). First year
Harper Freeman (16:44.55) and
Jack True (16:55.13) also scored key points.
In the 200-yard backstroke, Ithaca swept third through sixth in the A-final.
Evan Wardrop (1:52.61) and
Ben Hurty (1:52.87) paced the group, while
Alec Kutsner (1:53.69) and
Marshall Adams (1:54.64) added depth.
Michael Gehley (1:54.67) and
James Moore (1:56.19) contributed from the B-final.
The Bombers dominated the 100-yard freestyle, claiming four of the top eight spots in the A-final.
Ryan Cooke won the event in 46.51, edging teammate
Spencer Alderson (46.57) for a 1-2 finish. Graduate student
Matthew Mitros placed fourth (47.08), and senior
Max Mignogna finished eighth (47.77).
In the 200-yard breaststroke, Ithaca packed the A-final with four swimmers.
Mateo Graff led the way in third (2:08.70), followed by
Will Stanczewski (2:09.20),
Elijah Gehman (2:09.40), and
Matthew Janssen (2:10.04). The Bombers also excelled in the 200-yard butterfly, where
James Moore captured the title in 1:52.98. He was joined by
Ben Lajoie (1:56.25),
Caleb Chen (1:58.04), and
Mike Ekert (1:58.21) in the A-final.
Ithaca closed the meet with a victory in the 400-yard freestyle relay, as Molitor-Kirsch, Kutsner, Alderson, and Cooke combined for a winning time of 3:05.15.
Next up, Ithaca College will head south for their winter training trip in Florida. The program will then be off before returning to action on Saturday, January 17 where they will square off against Hamilton College in a home dual at 1 p.m.
