TROY, N.Y. – In one of the tightest finishes of the season, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's swimming & diving team secured a thrilling 144–136 victory over visiting Hamilton College this afternoon at Robison Pool.
Samuel Ciegler led the distance charge, claiming two key victories in the 500 (4:49.13) and 1000 freestyle (10:04.09) to give the Engineers an early and late boost in the meet's lineup.
RPI opened the meet with a powerful win in the 200 medley relay, as the quartet of
Jason Weller,
Peter Meehan,
Hayden Dinkin, and
Tyler Kim combined for a 1:35.74 finish that set the tone. All four members of the relay would go on to contribute significant individual points throughout the meet.
Dinkin doubled up with first-place finishes in both the 200 butterfly (1:57.35) and the 100 butterfly (52.46), while also playing a key role in the Engineers' winning medley relay.
Tyler Kim was just 0.04 seconds behind Dinkin in the 100 fly to place second, and he also dominated the 200 individual medley (1:56.74) in the meet's final individual event.
Jason Weller shined in the sprints and backstroke, earning wins in the 200 freestyle (1:43.53) and the 200 backstroke (1:54.59), and placing second in the 50 free (21.99).
Ian Evans swept both diving events with 136.90 points on the 1-meter and 153.90 on the 3-meter, providing crucial swing points in RPI's path to the win.
Additional strong performances came from
Joshua Collins, who was second in the 200 butterfly (1:59.24), and
Peter Meehan, who added a runner-up finish in the 100 breaststroke (59.73).
Rittivuth Chea contributed valuable points with a second-place finish in the 100 backstroke (53.90), while also battling closely in the 100 fly.
The Engineer divers will next return to Robison Pool for the RPI Dive Invitational next Saturday, while the RPI swimmers will begin prepping for the Liberty League Championships that are set to begin on February 18 at host Ithaca.
