October 8, 2011

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo men's and women's swimming and diving teams won a combined 27 of 34 events as the Bulls hosted the WNY Invite at Alumni Arena Natatorium on Saturday. There was no team scoring at the meet that also included Binghamton and local rivals St. Bonaventure, Niagara and Canisius.

Junior Matt Hogan and sophomore transfer Brittney Kuras won three individual events apiece to lead the Bulls. Both swimmers took first place in the 200-yard individual medley, 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle races. Hogan turned in a time of 1:55.52 in the 200-yard IM, then swept the freestyles in 1:42.81 for the 200-yard distance and 46.23 for the 100-yard race. Kuras, a Canandaigua native who competed as a freshman at Rutgers, won the 200-yard IM in 2:06.80, the 200-yard freestyle in 1:54.89 and the 100-yard freestyle in 51.64.

The Bulls had three double winners sweeping the 100- and 200-yard races in their respective disciplines. Brynn Marecki took both breaststroke races winning the 100-yard race in 1:06.44 and the 200-yard event in 2:23.64. The Bulls swept the backstroke events as well. Freshman Claudia Doyle won the women's competitions in 58.43 for the 100-yard race and 2:08.94 for the 200-yard race. Junior Matt Schwippert took the 100-yard backstroke in 51.58 and the 200-yard backstroke in 1:51.24.

Other women's individual winners included Emma Miller, Dani Adank, Marissa Murphy, Alie Schirmers and newcomers Mallory Morrell and Rachel Eckert. Miller took the 500-yard freestyle in 5:15.02. Adank won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:09.61. Murphy claimed the 100-yard butterfly in 57.05. Schirmers won the 400-yard individual medley in 4:37.07. Morrell, a record setting sprint freestylist who transferred after a year at Monroe CC, won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.85 while Eckert won her first collegiate event with a victory in the three-meter diving event with a total score of 360.35.

Taking individual competitions for the UB men were Mike Dugan in the 50-yard freestyle (21.06), Christian Muller in the 100-yard breaststroke (58.55), Josh Meints in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:11.99), Cory Zorsch in the 100-yard butterfly (50.64) and Derek McAninch in the one-meter diving (328.10).

The Bulls also swept the four men's and women's relay races. Doyle, Marecki, Taylor Steffl and Morrell combined to win the women's 200-yard medley relay in 1:45.99 while Murphy, Becky Evangelista, Doyle and Morrell finished first in the women's 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:36.47. Phil Aronica, Hogan, Schwippert and Jared Heine won the 200-yard medley relay in 1:32.29 with Meints, Aronica, Paul Garman and Dugan taking the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:25.02.

"We put in six weeks of good training and it allows the team to see that it's working," said head coach Andy Bashor. "They did a good job today."

UB opens dual meet competition on October 21 when both squads host Pittsburgh at 5:00 pm at Alumni Arena Natatorium.