ITHACA, N.Y. – Junior Mike Dowd impressed the spectators at the second day of the Liberty League Championships at the Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium at Ithaca College. The Holbrook, New York native led the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's swimming and diving team by breaking the championship's longest standing record, swimming an NCAA qualifying time for the second straight day.
 
Dowd finished first, setting championship and association records in winning the 200-yard freestyle in an NCAA B-cut time of 1:39.53. The meet record of 1:40.51 was co-held by Ithaca's James Collishaw from last year and Bard's Dio Tzortzis in 2018. The association record of 1:40.01 set in 1997 by Union's Kevin Makarowski was Liberty League's longest standing record (26 years). The mark also sets a new program record in the event, breaking Ben Fell's mark from 2003.
 
Also highlighting the day was sophomore Jake Fassora, as he came from behind to win the 400-yard individual medley in 4:03.19. Fassora trailed teammate, junior Daniel Savidge, entering the final 50 yards, but closed with a 26.19 over the final 50. He beat Savidge (4:05.04), who swam a 28.68 over the final 50 yards, by nearly two seconds. The Engineers dominated the field in the event, finishing five swimmers in the top eight spots.
 
Savidge and Dowd also joined with Nicholas Stefanidis and Lorenzo Gurri to collect another school record in the Men's 400 Medley Relay, scoring a third-place finish with a time of 3:21.74. Gurri and Stefanidis also competed in the Men's 200 Freestyle Relay, joining with Jimmy Zhen and Ethan Gadbois for a third place finish.
 
Gurri scored a solid individual performance in the Men's 100 Fly, finishing fourth breaking his own school record from 202 with a time of 49.68. In the diving portion, Matt Abraham posted a third place finish in the Men's 1 meter dive.
 
The Engineers return to action tomorrow, Friday, February 17 at 10 a.m. with prelims before finals in the evening.