The AU Men's and Women's swimming and diving team finished first in overall points in a two-day meet versus George Washington and Catholic this weekend.
It was the first opportunity of the season for swimmers to race in individual events. The three sessions (one Friday night at Catholic, and two Saturday at AU) meant each swimmer competed in six individual events total.
Swimmers usually compete in two individual events and a relay, so the extra sessions were an opportunity for swimmers to race in less familiar disciplines.
"This weekend was pretty demanding for the team because we swam a full conference list of events in a day and a half," Michelle Risinger, team co-captain, said. "We really did a nice job rising to the occasion."
Added coach Mark Davin: "The meet was very successful. We had a lot of good swims."
The men dominated the 200-yard backstroke, with senior Valery Fomenko, junior Steve Brennan and senior Kevin Falkstein taking first, second and third. respectively.
Fomenko returns for his final year after being named Patriot League Male Swimmer of the Year last season.
In the 200-yard butterfly, the men's team captains, senior Estebe Salgado and Brennan, finished first and second. Falkstein and sophomore Matt Bank took third and fourth.
Freshman Will McNees came up with a big win for the men in the 1650-yard freestyle on Saturday afternoon.
Last year's Patriot League female swimmer of the year, sophomore Meghan Thiel, raced to four first place finishes for the women's team. She bested competition in the 500-yard freestyle, the 200-yard freestyle, the 100-yard freestyle, and the 1650-yard freestyle.
Junior co-captain Kaitlin Moughty took first in the 400-yard IM and the 200-yard butterfly.
By the end of the third session, the team was worn down, but remained in good spirits.
"Everybody did the best they could with the rest they had," Steve Brennan, team co-captain, said. "But everybody being on the same page I think is pretty cool."
AU's modest dive team also fared well, Davin said. All four divers expanded the team's dive list by each performing new dives.
Fall meets like this weekend's are helpful because the fall season is the time to overtrain, Davin said. Swimmers can use experiences competing in longer or different versions of their main stroke to improve race strategies for spring. Though it's not a traditional team approach, Davin said it helps swimmers to pick up new skills quickly.
"We are going to be better than a year ago," Davin said. "We have a nice group of freshman and returning sophomores."
Both squads are sophomore-heavy, with seven on the men's team and 10 on the women's.
This weekend's meet was the second event of the season. On Oct. 14, the team competed in the Potomac Relays, where the AU men earned a first place tie with GW and the AU women placed third.
Of the eight teams in the Patriot League, the AU men have been ranked fifth and the women ranked seventh, according to a PL preseason poll.
Next up for the team is the Bucknell Sprint Invitational next Saturday in Lewisburg, Pa.
