SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - The Wheaton College men's swimming & diving team opened the 2017 season with a 170-64 victory over the Clark University Cougars in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) duel, Thursday afternoon.
Wheaton quickly got on board at the start of the meet in the 200-yard medley relay when the 'A' group consisting of senior Ross Johnston, senior Samuel Zarfos, sophomore Kevin Silva and senior Jerard Fredette earned first place with a final time of 1:41.77. The 'C' group of junior Jonathan Dunnett, senior Todd Lambert, first-year Demetri Spiliotis and first-year John Giberti clocked in right behind them at 1:44.41 for second.
Junior Zeke DeWitt registered his first career win when he timed in a final of 10:55.22 in the 1,000-yard freestyle. First-year Chris Stack followed him in second at 10:57.37. Sophomore Timmer Sposato led the way for the Lyons in the 200-yard freestyle when he recorded a 1:52.08 final for first place. Wheaton went on to tally the top four spots in the 50-yard freestyle thanks to senior Frederick Garneau (first), Lambert (second), junior Raymond Bortolot (third) and first-year Kerthan Balasubramanian.
Dunnett (2:02.97) and sophomore Chris Steward (2:10.61) carried the momentum for the Lyons into the 200-yard individual medley when they earned the first and second place spots respectively. Fredette remained hot when he collected first place in the 100-yard freestyle at 50.84 as Johnston went on to score a first place finish of his own in the 200-yard backstroke with a 2:00.48 final.
Senior Ricky Davies guided the Lyons in the three-meter dive when he dished out first place with a 239.95 final. He went on to score a 208.85 in the one-meter. First-year Aaron Howe earned first-place for the Lyons in the one-meter at 247.20.
In the 500-yard freestyle, it was Sposato (5:12.66) and DeWitt (5:19.13) who were the top performers when they notched first and second. Dunnett and Zarfos helped round out the meet for Wheaton as they earned first and second place in the 200-yard breaststroke to help seal the victory over the Cougars.
The Lyons host Babson College on Saturday at 1 p.m. for another NEWMAC matchup, hosted in Balfour Natatorium. The Lyons will also be celebrating Senior Day.
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