TROY, N.Y. – A well-rounded team performance propelled the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's swimming & diving team to a convincing 178-49 victory over Union College in a home dual meet today at Robison Pool. The Engineers won nine of the 11 individual events contested and captured both relays to claim the Liberty League win.
John Hobden picked up his first collegiate victory in the 1000 freestyle, touching first in 10:26.28. He added a runner-up finish in the 100 freestyle (50.09), contributing critical points to the Engineers' early lead.
Connor Freeze followed close behind Hobden in the 1000 with a time of 10:30.68, giving RPI a strong finish to open the distance events.
Ethan Young posted a win in the 50 freestyle, sprinting to the wall in 22.44 seconds, and
Beckham Palmer also had a standout day, as he notched his first collegiate win in the 100 freestyle (48.68) while contributing to first-place finishes in both the 400 medley and 200 freestyle relays.
Samuel Ciegler remained dominant in long events, sweeping the 400 IM (4:14.27) and 500 freestyle (4:52.80).
Patrick Epifanio gave RPI another 1-2 finish in the 500, earning second in 4:58.05.
Backstroke duties were shared between
Tyler Kim and
Rittivuth Chea, with Kim claiming top honors in the 100 backstroke (54.51) and Chea also clocking a strong showing.
Jason Weller impressed again, anchoring key events for the Engineers. He took first in the 200 freestyle (1:46.56) and swam legs on both winning relays, including the opening 400 medley relay.
Peter Meehan contributed in multiple areas, including a second-place finish in the 100 breaststroke (59.47) and 50 free (23.42), while
Hayden Dinkin added second-place points in both the 200 freestyle (1:51.16) and 100 butterfly (53.28).
On the boards,
Ian Evans captured the 3-meter diving title with 155.80 points and placed second on the 1-meter board,.
The Engineers were untouchable in the relays, opening with a win in the 400 medley relay behind the quartet of Weller, Meehan, Dinkin, and Palmer, who posted a winning time of 3:32.95. They closed the meet with another dominant performance in the 200 freestyle relay, as
Tyler Kim,
Beckham Palmer,
Jason Weller, and
Ethan Young powered to a time of 1:28.29.
The Engineers continue their busy weekend tomorrow afternoon at Skidmore.
