By Joseph Caruso
Staff Writer
The College defeated the Seagulls of Salisbury University in their first matchup in a dual meet by a score of 172-90 on Saturday, Oct. 12 .
Looking to build another successful season from their 2023 campaign in which they finished 7-2, facing a Salisbury team who went 8-3 themselves, it would not be an easy task.
The preseason was all about preparation for the Lions, looking to build on the success from a year ago.
“One of the core things we do as a team to excel is creating an environment where champions are inevitable,” said junior finance major Andrew Kidchob. “Early in the season we have a bunch of team bonding events and get each other going by hyping up each other during early season practices and lifts.”
The relay team of junior Kidchob, senior Ryan VanDeVeen, junior Richard Park and freshman M.J. Hoban got the meet started.
Kidchob, a three-time NCAA All-American and a member of the 2024 1st Team All-NJAC team has picked up right where he left off, continuing to be stellar for the College.
VanDeVeen is another star for the Lions. The athlete is five-time NCAA All-American, while also being first team All-NJAC in back-to-back seasons.
Along with VanDeVeen, senior Ryan Higgins and sophomore Steven Bendoraitis each took home individual events to lead the Lions to victory. Like Kidchob, Higgens is a three-time NCAA All-American and has also been 1st Team All-NJAC three years in a row.
As well as this, both relay teams also came out on top, with junior Gavin Forman concluding the day with a solo win of his own. Forman is a six-time NCAA All-American who also won NJAC Rookie of the Year in 2023.
“We were very confident that we were going to win, we had confidence in ourselves and the team that we had the capabilities to pull off the win without a doubt,” said Kinchob. “Salisbury still put up a great performance and competition.”
With this win, the Lions still have yet to lose a meet at home since the 2019-2020 season, winning 12 straight in Ewing. Sixth-year coach David Dow has already taken home two NJAC championships and has been NJAC Coach of the Year three times. He is looking to lead the College to yet another successful season at the helm.
The team has lofty yet attainable goals for this season including hopes of hoisting an NJAC championship trophy and have individuals named as All-Americans. That being said, their goals are not just accomplishment based.
“[We want to] create an electric environment on the pool deck through hard work and building off the energy of each other,” said Kinchob. “And succeed in both the classrooms and at the pool by working with each other to get better everyday.”
The Lions season is now in full swing as they will head to South Orange to take on Seton Hall on Oct. 19.
