WALTHAM, Mass. – Competing for the first time since the 2009-10 season, and for the first time at home since 2008, the Brandeis Swimming and Diving teams swam well, earning 15 victories and establishing a new school record in a pair of losses to Wheaton College today. The Lyon men won 159-97, while the women's score was 163-120 in favor of the visitors.
"This was a great meet for us," said head coach Mike Kotch of his first official event for the Judges in Linsey Pool. "We had a bunch of great individual performances. With a few more solid recruiting classes, I think this is a meet we should be able to win a couple of years down the line."
The highlight of the meet came from sophomore Max Fabian (Keene, N.H./Oak Meadow). Fabian, who won three of the Judges' 15 events, established a new school record in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:58.06. He knocked a full seven seconds off the previous mark established in 2006 by Hal Grossman '06. Fabian also won the 500-yard freestyle in 5:02.22 and the 200 butterfly in 2:06.05.
Rookie Brian Luk (Hong Kong/Northfield Mount Hermon) joined Fabian as a triple winner on the afternoon, excelling in sprint events. Luk won the 50 freestyle (22.65 seconds, winning by just 0.03 of a second), the 100 free (48.98 seconds) and the 100 butterfly (56.37 seconds).
The Brandeis women also had a multiple winner in the distance freestyle races, where rookie Theresa Gaffney (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) was the program's first event winner of the day, taking the 1,000 free in 11:43.44 in the third race of the meet. Gaffney also won the 500 in 5:44.05.
Senior Holly Spicer (Northampton, Mass./Northampton), one of four holdovers from the previous incarnation of Brandeis swimming and diving, was also a double-winner on the afternoon, taking both breaststroke events. Spicer took the 100 in 1:11.27 and the 200 in 2:37.05.
Rookie Lauren Cruz (Redmond, Wash./Hamilton East-Steinert) joined Fabian and Luk as a winner in multiple disciplines, capturing the 200 freestyle (2:05.94) and the 200 backstroke (2:25.02).
Other individual winners for the Judges were rookie David Lazarovich (Stowe, Vt./South Burlington) in the 100 breast with a time of 1:05.55; sophomore Gabby Drillich (Harrington Park, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) in the 200 fly with a time of 2:30.04; and rookie Fallon Bushee (Malden, Mass./Mystic Valley Regional Charter School) in the 50 free (26.00 seconds).
Brandeis returns to action next weekend in Rochester at the Mini-UAA Meet. Wheaton will compete the same weekend at MIT's Batterman relays.