Mixed Results To Begin Fall Campaign

The Harvard men’s swimming and diving team kicked off its season this past weekend with mixed results.

The Crimson fell to a formidable non-conference foe in Texas A&M on Friday at Harvard’s home Blodgett Pool with a score of 131.5-102.5.

But the men were able to rally in Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday and claim a tri-meet victory over two Ivy League opponents, Cornell and Dartmouth.

“[Friday] was a bit more of a struggle, but we fought through it,” senior co-captain Tommy Gray said. “It was a really good prep for the meet against Cornell, [which] really got the ball rolling.”

With an ultimate goal of remaining undefeated in Ivy matchups this season, the Crimson swimmers and divers are showing impeccable form in their starts.

HARVARD AT CORNELL, VS. DARTMOUTH

Harvard began its first Ivy League meet with a bang, as a team of underclassmen captured the opening 200-meter medley relay event. Sophomores Rob Newell, Niall Janney, and Nicholas DuCille and freshman Owen Wurzbacher combined for a 1:33.67 finish, six seconds faster than their seed time.

The Crimson followed this with a strong 1-2-3-4 finish from its distance swimmers in the 1000-yard freestyle.

Senior Mason Brunnick led the pack and touched the wall in a decisive 9:28.86, over thirty seconds faster than the closest Cornell or Dartmouth swimmer.

Senior co-captain Alex Meyer and junior Blake Lewkowitz followed Brunnick, finishing almost simultaneously with times of 9:46.63 and 9:46.78, respectively. Junior Jamie Mannion pulled in a solid fourth place.

The victories kept coming for Harvard, as Meyer claimed the 500-yard freestyle in 4:36.51, and junior Douwe Yntema won the 200-yard freestyle against stiff competition with a time of 1:42.49.

Members of the opening 200-meter medley team also claimed individual wins for the Crimson. Newell placed first in the 100-yard backstroke with a 51.50 time and led Harvard’s 1-2-3 finish in the 200 backstroke, followed by freshman Greg Pelton and sophomore David Lynch.

DuCille brought home the gold in the 50-yard freestyle and swam the first leg of the winning 400-yard freestyle relay team.

Freshman Brendan McIntee, sophomore Eric Taylor, and junior Will Heyburn combined with Newell for first in the relay and a time of 3:07.33.

Junior diver Zac Ranta claimed the 3-meter dive with a score of 317.70 to finish the meet, bringing the Crimson’s total event victories up to nine.

“[Saturday] definitely set a good tone because we put up some good times and we raced hard,” Brunnick said. “We showed the Ivy League that we’re going to be pretty strong this year and that we’re looking forward to winning the Ivy League title.”

TEXAS A&M 131.5, HARVARD 102.5

The Crimson began its season on Friday against perennial swim powerhouse, Texas A&M.

Despite a loss, Harvard claimed three events on the day and showed its depth in multiple events.

But the swimmers and divers were not all pleased with their accomplishments.

“We were a bit tense and a bit nervous,” Meyer said. “There were a lot of good races and some lackluster performances.”

The Crimson had to wait until the tenth event of the day for a first-place finish, when Brunnick claimed the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 4:48.23.

Harvard then took a 1-2-3 finish in the 200-yard backstroke. Wurzbacher touched the wall first in 2:07.66 and was followed by juniors Justin Davidson and Evan Schindewolf in second and third, respectively. The Crimson used a completely different lineup in the event than it sent out on Saturday but still swept the top-three spots.

Harvard finished strong, winning the 400-yard freestyle relay to end the day’s competition. DuCille, Taylor, McIntee, and sophomore Matthew McLean claimed the race for the Crimson with a time of 3:07.59.

—Staff writer Alexandra J. Mihalek can be reached at amihalek@fas.harvard.edu.