It was senior day for Marist’s Swimming and Diving teams as they went up against conference rival, Bryant, on Saturday.
Marist Men’s Swimming and Diving winning streak continued on Saturday as they closed out their final meet with a victory against conference rival Bryant, 191-104. The energy in the building from start to finish was electric. Meanwhile, the women fell short, 128-170.
That energy translated into a strong performance from the Red Foxes. Perhaps, it was because this was the final home meet for all of the seniors. Or maybe, because it was the first swim meet since the opening of the newly renovated McCann Center. Either way, something seemed different this time around.
Seven seniors were honored for senior day just before the start of the event, walking through a tunnel formed by teammates with their parents.
Raislan Aiken, Preston Demarco, David Gallino, and Michael O’Donovan were recognized on the men’s side. Captain Jessica Miller, Juliet Nowak, and Julia Solin were recognized on the women’s. Many different emotions were running through the building as all seniors have made a significant impact on the program the four years they have been Red Foxes, winning a combined 61 dual meets.
With this being their fifth straight win, the men have not lost in two months. The men opened with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay clocking in at 1:34.72. The team consisted of Ahmed Sallam, Jackson Klarsfeld, Pavel Makarchuk, and Ethan McCormac. They would continue their dominance as the first three finishes in the next event were all Red Foxes. Senior Michael O’ Donovan took first overall in the 1000 yard- free clocking in with a time of 9:53.64. This is O’Donovan’s first individual victory, so it’s only fitting the senior was able to accomplish it on senior day. Teammates John Hurley and Brenden Rice were the ones to follow.
After sweeping the 1000 yard-free, the men followed it up with another sweep of the 200-yard free. Ante Dany would take it with a time of 1:43.99. Teammates Ethan McCormac and Murray Coueslant came in shortly after. Sophomore, Adam Kapusta who has been excellent recently cruised his way into a first place finish in the men 200-yard fly with a time of 1:52.65, giving the Red Foxes three-straight first place finishes.
Head coach Larry VanWagner wasn’t necessarily concerned about the result of the meet. He wanted to end the season with a strong performance and recognize the seniors for their contributions. “It wasn’t about the win. It was about performing. I am more concerned about how well we are performing and the men did fantastic today,” said VanWagner.
This victory puts the men at 11-2 as they now look to prepare for the MAAC championships in a few weeks. The four-day competition will start at 6 P.M. and consists of 14 teams from the conference.
VanWagner doesn’t believe there is much work that needs to be done these next two and a half weeks. “Repeat what we did today. Come as well prepared as the men did today. I think they showed they are one of the strongest programs in the conference,” said VanWagner.
The MAAC Championships begin Wednesday, February 12th in Buffalo, New York.
Edited by Dylan Kusmuk