POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist Swimming & Diving Program has a new member, as junior transfer Orry Zayit is set to join the Red Foxes ahead of the 2020-21 season after spending the previous two seasons with the UConn Huskies.

Zayit specializes in the butterfly and back strokes, and is originally from Roslyn, NY where he attended Roslyn High School for four years. He was the captain of his swim team in high-school, and was awarded his team MVP award his senior season. He racked up many accolades through his time at Roslyn, including being named an All-Long Island, All-State, and All-American swimmer. In 2017 he set the county record in the 100-yard fly.

"It is truly disheartening to witness another division I swimming team fall," Head Coach Larry VanWagner said. "However, Marist will truly benefit from Orry's addition to our backstroke and butterfly events."

In his time at UConn, Zayit had some highlight performances. His standout performance his freshman season came against Southern Connecticut State, as he captured his first career individual victory in the 200-yard fly with a time of 1:55.79.

He took a step up his sophomore year, and was truly dominant in butterfly events. One of the highlights came at the Rutgers Invitational, where he dominated the field and took first place in the 200-yard fly with a time of 1:49.72. At the 2020 AAC Championships, Zayit finished as high as sixth place in the 200-yard fly with a time of 1:48.25.