NEW ENGLAND SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (NESCAC) – MEN
- Dates: Thursday, February 20-Sunday, February 23, 2020
- Location/Host: Middlebury College – Middlebury, VT
- Defending Champion: Williams
- Live Results: Available here
- Live Video: Available here
- Championship Central
Courtesy: New England Small College Athletic Conference
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The Williams Ephs increased their lead at the 2020 NESCAC Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships after picking up five more wins following Day 3 action at Samuelson-Muir Pool. Williams (1,432.5 points) enters Sunday with a 178-point lead over second-place Tufts (1,254.5 points). Amherst stands third with 963.5 points and is followed by Bates (722 points) and Colby (688.5 points) to round out the top five teams.
Tufts started the evening session winning the first two events. The Jumbos’ 200 medley relay team set a NESCAC Meet and Williams pool record with a time of 1:28.12. The team of sophomore Nate Tingen and seniors Matthew Manfre, Costa Camerano, and Roger Gu edged out the teams from Williams (1:28.74) and Amherst (1:29.58) for the top spot on the podium. The top four relays in the event all achieved NCAA B-cut times.
Junior John Lalime gave Tufts its second straight win of the evening as he took first in the 1000 freestyle. Lalime, who entered the event with the fastest time in the NESCAC, touched the wall in a pool-record time of 9:22.89, spoiling Williams senior Andrew Trunsky’s attempt to win the event all four years. Colby junior Ryan Bedell, a third-place finisher last year, placed second (9:23.20) and first-year Evan Szblewski of Tufts finished third (9:24.39).
The Ephs won the next five events. Sophomore Sean Tan started the streak with a win in the 400 IM, posting a time of 4:00.78. Fellow Eph Jackson Karofsky was second (4:00.98) and Bates sophomore Andrew Hall placed third (4:01.10). All three swimmers achieved an NCAA B-cut time.
More NCAA B-cut times were recorded in the 100 butterfly. Williams junior David Pearcy touched the wall first with a time of 48.42 to repeat as the NESCAC Champion. He was followed by Camerano of Tufts (49.23) and Amherst senior Jack Koravos (49.25), both swimmers were among the top three finishers in the event a year ago.
Williams junior Jamie Lovette won the 200 freestyle for the second year in a row with a winning time of 1:38.13. Earlier in the day, Lovette set a Williams pool record in the event with a prelim time of 1:37.83. Connecticut College junior Charlie Adl was second (1:39.66) and Tufts junior Charlie Adl finished third (1:40.62). Both Lovette and Adl recorded NCAA B-cut times in the race.
A pair of first-year swimmers from Williams went 1-2 in the finals. Liam Sullivan won the race with a time of 54.40, while teammate Jacob Grover was second at 54.58. During the morning prelim swim, Sullivan posted a time of 54.36 to set a NESCAC record, a NESCAC Meet record, and a Williams pool record. Amherst senior Sean Mebust was the third-place finisher with a time of 55.52 and all three swimmers earned an NCAA B-cut time.
In the final event on the third day of competition, Williams sophomore Nick Whitcomb won the 100 backstroke with a time of 48.63. Tingen of Tufts was second (49.38), and Ted Mebust of Bowdoin finished third with a time of 49.91. Each swimmer achieved an NCAA B-cut times.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Williams — 1,432.5 points
2. Tufts — 1,254.5 points
3. Amherst — 963.5 points
4. Bates — 722 points
5. Colby — 688.5 points
6. Bowdoin — 530 points
7. Connecticut College — 496.5 points
8. Middlebury — 421 points
9. Trinity — 295 points
10. Hamilton — 290 points
11. Wesleyan — 174.5 points