thFairfield, CT - In the 2018 season debut for the swimming and diving program, the Manhattan men earned first place in the Fairfield Invitational, while the women slotted in third place.
The men's side outscored MAAC foe Fairfield, Southern Connecticut State and Bridgeport, earning 500.5 points. The women finished with 258 points, 10 ahead of the Purple Knights.
It is the first time that the Jasper men's team recorded more points than the Stags since it won a dual meet 147-115 on October 14, 2016.
The Jaspers return to the pool on Saturday, October 5 in the Brooklyn Invite as the women compete against St. Francis Brooklyn and LIU Brooklyn in the two-day event. The men will battle the Terriers over the same time frame.
MEN'S HIGHLIGHTS
- Sophomore Andre van Huyssteen (Paarl, South Africa / Paarl Boys) led the way with three first-place finishes in the 100 and 200 SC Meter Freestyle as well as the 100 SC Meter Butterfly.
- Sophomore Artur Polyak (Haifa, Israel / Pittsburgh) impressed in his Manhattan debut, winning the 100 SC Meter Backstroke almost three seconds ahead of the second-place finisher and over eight seconds ahead in his 200 SC Meter Backstroke winning time.
- Junior Timothy Valentine (Massapequa, NY / Chaminade) returned to action for the first in almost a year and placed third in the 100 SC Meter Breaststroke.
- Junior Tyler Dalton (East Stroudsburg, PA / Pocono Mountain East) led all Jaspers and took home third in the 200 SC Meter Breaststroke.
- Freshman Kyle Bergin (Lynbrook, NY / Lynbrook Senior) made his collegiate debut, placing behind van Huyssteen and third overall in the 100 SC Meter Butterfly.
- The 200 SC Meter Medley Relay quartet of Polyak, Valentine, Bergin and van Huyssteen received the silver.
- The 400 SC Meter Freestyle Relay team got the bronze, with contributions from freshmen Matthew Shen (Waxhaw, NC / Marvin Ridge) and Michael Popescu (Matthews, NC / Marvin Ridge), sophomore Charles Ledda (New Fairfield, CT / New Fairfield) and Dalton.
- Diving freshmen Tommy Courtney (Thornwood, NY / Archbishop Stepinac) and Connor Marshall (West Hartford, CT / Avon Old Farms) made their first Manhattan appearances. Courtney was third on the 1-meter board with a score of 146.45, while Marshall won bronze on the 3-meter at 142.40.
WOMEN'S HIGHLIGHTS
- In the 800 SC Meter Freestyle, seniors Kathryn Voitik (Moscow, PA / Scranton Prep) and Abie Delisio (Woodstock, NY / Kingston) went back-to-back at fourth and fifth, respectively.
- Freshman Jamie Quinn (Fairfax, VA / WT Woodson) placed fourth in the 100 and 200 SC Meter Backstroke in her first meet as a Jasper.
- Junior Kelsey Eastman (Effort, PA / Wagner) suited up for the Jaspers for the first time and placed fourth in the 50 SC Meter Freestyle.
- The 200 SC Meter Medley Relay squad finished third behind Quinn, Eastman, freshman Ashley Patierno (Hyde Park, NY / Franklin D. Roosevelt) and senior Klaudia Nagrabska (Belmont, MA / Belmont).
- Freshman Lexington Passamonte (Rochester, NY / Greece Athena) competed in her first collegiate diving event, finishing fourth on the 1-meter board with a score of 138.45.
