UB Men’s Swimmers Take First Night Lead at Zippy Invitational

AKRON, OH – The University at Buffalo swimming and diving teams opened the University of Akron's Zippy Invitational with several season-best marks as the men's squad took a first night lead while the women's team stood fourth.

The Bulls scored a relay victory in the final event of the evening and also came away with a pair of second-place finishes to highlight the men's portion of the meet.

In the 400-yard medley relay, the UB foursome of Phil Aronica, Josh Meints, Cory Zorsch and Matt Hogan took first place in a season-best time of 3:24.05. UB also scored a third-place finish in the race as the foursome of Matt Schwippert, Christian Muller, Mike Dugan and Simon Proudfoot turned in a finish of 3:27.59.

Hogan scored a season best with his second-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley with a clocking of 1:53.18. Andrew Tanzey took fifth in the A final in 1:55.38. The Bulls also scored three places in the B final as Meints turned in a season-best of 1:56.11 to place second in the race and 10th overall.

Both of UB's diving teams scored well on Friday with second-place finishes to lead both sides. UB had three men's divers finish in the top six in the three-meter springboard event. Colin Patrican had a six-dive total of 308.50 to place second while Kenny Rhoades finished third with 303.40. Chris Iafrati took sixth with 237.25. Ava Giachino placed second in the women's one-meter competition with a six-dive total of 245.40 points.

Caroline Simmons turned in a season best with her third-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle. Simmons finished in 23.37 after turning in another season best in her preliminary swim when she finished in 23.66. In the men's 50-yard freestyle A final, the Bulls scored a pair as Jared Heine placed fourth in 21.16 and Proudfoot took eighth in 21.51. Both swimmers scored season-best marks in the preliminary round with Heine turning in a 20.88 and Proudfoot going 21.41.

The UB women also collected a pair of seventh-place finishes. Jordan Deren placed seventh in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:06.41 after turning in a season-best mark of 5:05.69 in the preliminary heats. In the 200-yard individual medley, Marissa Murphy had a seventh-place finish in 2:09.10 while Alie Schirmers was eighth in the race in 2:09.85.

Both of UB's top 200-yard freestyle relay teams also had third-place finishes. The women's team of Murphy, Jessie Koltz, Karly Moore and Simmons turned in a season best with their 1:35.66 showing. In the men's race, Aronica, Proudfoot, Dugan and Heine combined for a season-best time of 1:24.04 while the Bulls' B squad of Meints, Zorsch, Sterling Gell and Ryan Smrekar also turned in a season best of 1:25.15. UB's women's 400-medley relay team of Moore, Schirmers, Murphy and Simmons finished seventh in 3:55.11.

Competition continues through Sunday.

Team scores

Men: UB 499, Xavier 458, St. Bonaventure 390, Clarion 387, Indiana (PA) 253, Niagara 251, Shippensburg 191, Bloomsburg 186.

Women: Ohio 541, Akron 350, Illinois State 334, UB 325.5, Duquesne 257, Xavier 211.5, Shippensburg 184, Indiana (PA) 148, St. Bonaventure 97, Bloomsburg 71, Niagara 70.