WESTMINSTER, Md. – Ursinus College prevailed by a 60-35 score in Saturday's dual meet at McDaniel College to pick up their first Centennial Conference victory of the season.
Ursinus started on a high note, as junior William Benn (Summit, N.J./Summit), freshman Devin Nielsen (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown), senior Christian Hoops (Phoenixville, Pa./Great Valley), and junior Dylan Cooper (Southampton, Pa./William Tennent) took the 200-yard medley relay in 1:40.05.
Junior Marcus Wagner (Shavertown, Pa./Dallas) picked up the 200-yard freestyle title, completing the event in 1:47.97, and freshman Travis Venables (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) was right behind in second with a clocking of 1:51.28.
Hoops also emerged victorious in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 54.63, slightly abreast of sophomore Colin McNamara (Phoenixville, Pa./Great Valley), who finished in 55.11. Venables was impressive in the 100-yard freestyle, posting a time of 50.56 to score his first collegiate win, and Benn matched him in the 100-yard backstroke (55.33), where senior James Marrone (Croton on Hudson, N.Y./Croton-Harmon) placed third, a mere one-hundredth of a second behind the runner-up.
Hoops and Cooper finished the day like they started it, teaming with McNamara and Venables to cruise to victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:29.94).
Freshman Kevin Gill (Seaville, N.J./Ocean City) was second in the 1000-yard freestyle (10:25.32), improving upon his season-best time, with sophomore Christopher Barthold (Chadds Ford, Pa./Unionville) placing third. Cooper was runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle (22.70). Nielsen (2:04.76) and freshman James Callaghan (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) (2:06.77) finished second and third, respectively, in the 200-yard IM.
Wagner finished second in the 500-yard freestyle, and Nielsen registered another runner-up performance in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:02.64), with senior Keith Larkin (Glen Mills, Pa./Garnet Valley) coming in third in 1:05.44.
The Bears go for back-to-back conference triumphs on Saturday, November 21, when they welcome Gettysburg College to campus for a 1:00 p.m. dual meet.