EMMITSBURG, Md. (October 30, 2021) – Victories over St. Francis Brooklyn and Wagner this weekend gives the Mount St. Mary's men's swimming & diving team a 3-0 start, their best in program history.
 
On Friday, the men's team defeated the Terriers 133-90 before tackling the upstart Seahawks 147.5-108.5 Saturday. The Mount's women's teams fell victim to the same opponents, losing 154-88 to SFC and 170-61 to Wagner.
 
At St. Francis, seven individual triumphs and a relay win for the men helped steer them to victory. Aidan Grady was the standout, taking first the 200 IM (2:00.12) and the 100 breaststroke (57.42) while also assisting in the 200 medley relay win. Grady's effort in the breaststroke was part of another trifecta for the men's team, with Jacob Wallace and Griffin Distler finishing a respective second and third.
 
Individual men's victories also came from Jonathan Mata in the 100 backstroke, Peter Jones in the 50 free, and Nicholas Santorelli in the 200 free. Freshman Patrick Rankin was his own pacesetter in the dives, earning 18 points for the Mount.
 
The women's team got strong Friday performances from graduate student Valeria Villagran, who took the 100 fly (1:00.53), and a win from senior Kira Buchler in the 100 backstroke (58.71).
 
Against the Seahawks, freshman Conor Moran picked up his first collegiate victory, taking the 200 fly in 2:03.50, while his senior colleague Austin Dodd won the 100 fly (53.86). Jones, Grady and Distler all placed first in individual events for the second straight day as well. Relays further helped separate the Mountaineers from the Seahawks, with wins in the 200 freestyle and 200 medley events. Mata ran the first leg of each race to set the tone.
 
The Mount's women also found success in the relays, winning the 200 freestyle in a time of 1:41.17. Villagran, Elizabeth Horner, Maddy Samuels and Buchler made up the team.
 
Next up for the swimmers and divers is the three-day Franklin & Marshall Invitational, held in Lancaster, Pa. November 19^th-21^st.