The William and Mary men's swimming team began the season on Saturday, splitting a pair of meets on the road and coming away with two dual-meet records and a pair of lifetime-best performances. The Tribe defeated Georgetown 219-69, but fell to Towson 150-134.
Complete Results
Leading the way for the Tribe was junior Jeremiah O'Donnell (Chapel Hill, N.C.), who won five of his six races and broke W&M's in-season record in the 200 breast. He timed 2:03.73 for the victory and the record in that event, and also swept the 200 IM in 1:54.09. O'Donnell also swam the 200 free, beating Georgetown and finishing second against Towson with a lifetime-best 1:41.60.
Also setting a dual-meet record was the Tribe's 200 medley relay, which won in 1:31.64, the eighth-best time in school history. That squad included junior Will Manion (Haddonfield, N.J.), senior Matt Goetz (Islip, N.Y.), and juniors Justin Barden (Gordonsville, Va.) and Billy Russell (Newport News, Va.). Manion swept the backstrokes in 49.47 and 1:50.03, re-qualifying for December's Short Course Nationals in the 100 back, and Russell swept the 50 free and the 100 free in 20.85 and 46.06. Barden won the 100 fly against Georgetown in 49.83, and finished second to Towson in that event and to Manion in the two backstrokes.
Other notables included junior Andrew Nyce (Vienna, Va.), who swam a lifetime-best in the 100 breast with his time of 57.82. That performance defeated all opponents from Georgetown, and also improved Nyce to 15th in school history in the event. Among the freshman class, Conrad Zamparello (Midlothian, Va.) won the 500 free and the 1000 free against Georgetown in 4:44.34 and 9:50.23, respectively.
Newcomers Evan Baker (Chantilly, Va.) and Tommy Kealy (Wilton, Conn.) both leapt onto W&M's all-time top lists in both of the butterfly events. Baker ranks 13th all-time in both events, timing 1:53.36 in the 200 fly and 50.78 in the 100 fly, and won the 200 fly against Georgetown. Kealy is right behind him, 14th in school history in the 200 fly and 15th in the 100 fly, after timing 1:53.41 and 50.86.
William and Mary has the next week off, before hosting Mary Washington at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24.
