ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's swimming & diving team opened its season Saturday afternoon, hosting the University of Scranton and Hartwick College inside Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium. The Bombers captured several event victories in the season-opening tri-meet, taking down Scranton 203-95, and Hartwick 196-102.
Ithaca opened the meet with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay as
Alec Kutsner,
Mateo Graff,
James Moore and
Spencer Alderson combined for a winning time of 1:37.01. The Bombers also claimed third in the event with the team of
Evan Wardrop,
Will Stanczewski,
Mike Ekert and
Ethan Schmitt finishing in 1:38.32.
Bennett Molitor-Kirsch secured an individual victory in the 1,000-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 10:18.72.
Harper Freeman followed with a third-place finish in 10:32.12.
Will Stanczewski added another victory in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:48.08, while Luke Rechtin placed third in 1:50.84.
Alec Kutsner led the Bombers in the 100-yard backstroke, winning the event in 53.11. Wardrop added a third-place finish in 54.75. In the 200-yard butterfly,
Ben Lajoie took first in 2:00.26, followed by Moore in second at 2:02.96 and
Caleb Chen in third at 2:03.32, giving Ithaca a sweep of the top three spots.
The Bombers continued to find success in the distance events, with Molitor-Kirsch winning the 500-yard freestyle in 4:59.97. Freeman finished second in 5:01.62. Lajoie picked up another individual victory in the 200-yard individual medley, touching the wall in 1:59.26, while Gabriel Clerkin finished second in 2:03.80.
Ithaca closed out the meet with a victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team of
Alec Kutsner,
Will Stanczewski,
Mike Ekert and
Spencer Alderson combined for a time of 1:27.74 to finish ahead of Scranton and Hartwick.
The Bombers also recorded top-three finishes in several additional events, including the 100-yard breaststroke, 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley, showcasing their depth across the pool.
They will hit the road on Saturday, October 24, as they travel to Worcester, Mass. for a tri-meet with Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Springfield College.
