LANCASTER, Pa. - The  Ursinus College men's swimming team finished fourth last season at the Centennial Conference swimming championships and they'll start the 2019-20 season one place ahead of that in third.  

The Centennial Conference released the preseason poll for the upcoming season with the Bears tying for third with Franklin & Marshall with 23 points. Ahead of them was Gettysburg, which received one first-place vote with 29 points, and defending champion Swarthmore, which recorded 36 points with six first-place votes. 

The Bears have several established contributors returning to the fold from a squad that set a new school standard by finishing second in the dual-meet standings. Michael Prior put together a record-breaking performance in the 200 backstroke at the conference championships, earning a second straight silver medal. Sophomore Ryan Carkhuff claimed bronze in the 50 freestyle and broke a program record in the 100 freestyle.

Prior and Carkhuff each received honorable mention for their runner-up finishes.

Also impressing last year at the conference championships was Jacob Menzer who earned first-team honors by winning a gold medal in the 500 freestyle, becoming the sixth individual conference champion in program history. Menzer is a three-time honorable mention CSCAA Scholar All-American.

The Bears will look to carry that momentum from the conference championships last season into this year. The season starts on Saturday against Cabrini.