Devan Schulte
Staff Writer
The men’s swimming and diving team successfully sank American, Lafayette, and top-ranked Navy on Nov. 9 at Kinney Natatorium to boost the team’s record to 4-1 overall (3-0 PL). Mike Nicholson ’14 and Louis Behnen ’17 both captured multiple wins to help the Bison hand Navy its first loss since becoming a member of the Patriot League 10 years ago.
The Orange and Blue racked up points from the start of the meet, taking nine first-place finishes to outshine Navy’s seven. Behnen secured the 1000 free and the 200 back, gaining himself a spot in the school’s record books with times of 9:32.41 and 1:51.60, respectively.
“Winning the 1000 was a good way to start off the meet. It built the momentum that carried throughout the meet and eventually allowed us to win,” Behnen said.
Nicholson maintained this momentum, capturing first-place finishes in the 200 IM, 200 fly and 200 breast. Steve Grune ’16, Jack Robinson ’17, and Ben Seketa ’15 finished first for the 50 free, 100 back, and 100 breast, respectively. Despite the caliber with which the team swam, the key to winning did not rest solely on the shoulders of these first-place victories. The rest of the Bison team captured a multitude of points with many second and third-place finishes as well.
“Our team energy is what made me successful. Everyone was positive, encouraging, and loud for every race throughout the meet. However, a big team goal of ours is to improve that energy on the pool deck every meet. We want to keep our energy up for every race throughout the meet no matter what,” Grune said.
Divers Tyler Wenzel ’16 and Patrick Alvermann ’16 utilized the team’s energy on the diving boards, with Wenzel competing in the one-meter and Alvermann in the three-meter event. Both secured points for the Orange and Blue through third and fourth-place finishes, respectively.
The Bison ended the day outscoring both American and Lafayette by at least 200 points each, and secured a hard-fought victory over Navy 152-148, marking the Midshipmen’s first loss in the 11-meet series between the two teams.
“We just need to carry this momentum through the rest of the season. We have a chance to have one of the best seasons in Bucknell swimming, and if everyone can continue swimming like we did on Saturday, then the future looks good,” Chris Ortiz ’16 said.
The Bison will return to the pool on Nov. 22 to host the three-day Bucknell Invitational.