The College’s swimming and diving teams had an incredible week, winning three matches. The wins push the teams’ season records to 4-0 for both the men and women.
“This weekend has been great. We swam with a lot of energy today against Southern, and we’ve been able to jump to early leads and win a lot of races,” junior Xavier Moran said. “We’ve been training hard this season and have been able to dominate meets from the first events.”
Facing Montclair State University, Southern Connecticut State University and Franklin and Marshall College over consecutive days required a true team effort. That is exactly what the Lions brought, defeating the three opponents by at least 50 points each.
Sophomore Stephen Tarnowski continued his torrid 2011-2012 campaign, dominating last week. Tarnowski won multiple events in all three matches and was the only Lion to do so against Franklin and Marshall College. Tarnowski had his stake in the pool, placing first in butterfly, freestyle and backstroke events throughout the week.
Overall, the team showed its balance. Against Franklin and Marshall, it boasted 11 first-place finishes from 10 different swimmers. 
One swimmer that showed the depth of the Lions was freshman Aleksander Burzynski. Against Montclair State University, Burzynski won the 50-back and raced in the 200-medley relay.
“We graduated a lot of fast swimmers last year, but we have seen improvements across the board with our returning guys,” said Moran. “This weekend has been great. We swam with a lot of energy.”
The women exhibited dominance of their own by also picking up three wins. The minimum score they defeated their three opponents by was 65.
Senior Laura Pierce showed why she is one of the best swimmers in the country, winning a slew of events. Pierce won multiple free and butterfly events throughout the meet, and her time in the 100-butterfly against Southern Connecticut State University was an NCAA provisional qualifier.
Junior Danica Roskos, the winner of the three-meter diving event of last year’s Division III diving Championship, opened up her diving season with a splash. Against Montclair State University and Southern Connecticut State University, she won both one- and three-meter diving events.
The team received strong contributions from several other swimmers as well. Senior Melissa Hessler took home two first-place finishes against Southern Connecticut State, winning the 100-yard and 500-free events. Junior Kayleigh Shangle placed first in individual events in all three meetings, including a medley relay.
Both the men and women’s swimming and diving teams look strong heading into the season, showing their true depth and experience. They look to continue their winning ways at the Princeton University Invitational on Nov. 11.
“Our strongest competition is yet to come, which we have to stay focused on,” Moran said. “We just need to stay focused on our long-term goals, keep training hard, and not be complacent with what we’ve accomplished so far.”
