POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Marist men's swimming & diving cruised past Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe Bryant on Saturday afternoon. The Red Foxes routed the Bulldogs, who were one of two teams to finish above Marist in last year's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships, by a score of 191-104. The Red Foxes celebrated senior day prior to today's meet, with seniors
Michael O'Donovan,
Raislan Aiken,
David Gallino, and
Preston DeMarco being honored in the ceremony.
With the win, the Red Foxes close the regular season winning five dual meets in a row, surrounding a second-place finish at the H2Ounds Invitational, and finish with an overall record of 11-2. Marist also improves to 5-1 in MAAC competitions. Meanwhile, Bryant falls below .500 to 4-5 on the season, and has now lost four dual meets in a row.
- The men's team opened with a first-place victory in the 200-yard medley relay. The team of Ahmed Sallam, Jackson Klarsfeld, Pavel Makarchuk, and Ethan McCormac clocked in with a time if 1:34.72.
- The Red Foxes caught fire in the middle of the meet, winning three straight events. Klarsfeld took first in the 100-yard breast (58.99), Adam Kapusta finished first in the 200-yard fly (1:52.65), and Sallam secured first in the 50-yard free (21.74).
- Kapusta once again dominated, tying for a meet-high 22 points. He also placed first in the 500-yard free (4:46.70) and then came in second in the 200-yard back (1:54.99).
- Sallam also totaled 22 points in the meet. Besides the 50-yard free, he also won the 100-yard free with a time of 47.63, and he came in second in the 100-yard back with a time of 52.47.
- Ante Dany had a solid all-around meet, finishing with 16 total points. He placed first in the 200-yard free with a time of 1:43.99, then came in second and third in the 100-yard free (48.09) and 500-yard free (4:55.62), respectively.
- Other first place finishes in the meet include Klarsfeld (200-yard breast - 2:08.95) and Makarchuk (100-yard fly - 50.86)
- Senior captain O'Donovan picked up Marist's first individual victory of the day, clocking in at 9:53.64 in the 1000-yard freestyle.
- O'Donovan also had a great performance in the 500-yard free, taking second place with a time of 4:48.32.
- Senior captain Aiken had a massive performance in both diving events. He won the 1-meter board with a score of 281.48, and then won the 3-meter dive with a score of 270.30.
- Aiken was then given a chance to swim in the 400-yard free relay at the end of the meet, and he put up a time of 50.68 in the 100-yard free.
- Gallino placed second in the 3-meter dive with 247.43 points, and placed 4th in thr 1-meter dive with 241.05 points. He totaled six points in the meet.
The Red Foxes no longer have any dual meets on their schedule, and will now start preparations for the MAAC Championships. Marist has next week off, and then the event will begin on Wednesday, February 12 at 6 p.m. It will run through Saturday, February 15. The MAAC Championships will take place in Buffalo, NY.
