MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The No. 13 Tufts University men's swimming & diving team compiled a tremendous performance at the two-day Middlebury Invitational on Friday and Saturday, as the Jumbos earned 10 first-place finishes in Middlebury, Vermont.
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| Timothy Gronet was the Jumbos' top-finisher in three individual events. |
Freshman Thomas Gillespie was individually responsible for a pair of those first-place nods, as he was the first to touch the wall in the 500-yard freestyle (4:45.14) and the 1,650-yard freestyle (16:34.31). Sophomore Kingsley Bowen also collected a pair of first-place honors, which took place in the 100-yard butterfly (52.05) and the 200-yard backstroke (1:52.35).
Freshman Roger Gu finished first overall in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:45.16, while freshman Timothy Gronet tallied a first-place nod in the 100-yard freestyle (47.43), clearing second place by 1.28 seconds. Freshman Trevor Serman was the first swimmer to touch the wall in the 200-yard butterfly (1:55.06), finishing 2.06 seconds ahead of the runner-up.
Gronet was also the Jumbos' top-finisher in the 100-yard backstroke (second overall, 53.14) and the 50-yard freestyle (third overall, 21.77), while junior Jacob Siegelbaum was the first Jumbo to touch the wall in the 200-yard individual medley (second overall, 1:58.51) and placed second and third overall, respectively, in the 200 backstroke (1:53.11) and the 100 backstroke (53.47).
The Jumbos' relay teams were ready to compete, as the squad reeled off a trio of first-place finishes in team-oriented events. Gu, Bowen, sophomore Brandon Jinn and Gillespie claimed first-place acknowledgement in the 800-yard freestyle relay (7:08.15), clearing the second-place team by 3.02 seconds, while sophomore Chris Simotas, sophomore Brian Honicky, sophomore James Wu and Gu were the first team to touch the wall in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:11.34).
In first-day action on Friday, Simotas, senior Michael DeCortin, Honicky and Gronet recorded a time of 3:35.10 in the 400-yard medley relay, finishing first overall among seven relay teams.
In the 200-yard medley relay on Saturday, the Jumbos claimed the second- and third-place spots, as Simotas, DeCortin, Honicky and junior James McElduff earned runner-up honors (1:38.14). Wu, freshman George Katilus, Serman and junior Lorenzo Lau placed third overall (1:38.45).
Honicky, Gronet sophomore Nick Berger and freshman Gregory Callahan earned second-place honors in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:26.68), while Siegelbaum, Katilus, junior Tyler Shapiro and Callahan earned a third-place nod during the 400 medley relay (3:36.92).
Junior Craig Drennan was the squad's first-place finisher and placed third overall in the 400-yard individual medley (4:16.81), while freshman Jose Avila claimed third-place accolades during the 1,650 freestyle (17:15.91).
Junior Zachary Wallace finished third overall and was the Jumbos' top-performer in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:00.72), while the La Jolla, California, native also nabbed a third-place finish in the 100 freestyle (48.73).
Callahan continues to impress during his rookie season, as he earned runner-up recognition in the 200 freestyle (1:45.67) and the 100 freestyle (48.71). Senior Russell Weeks finished second overall and was the team's first-place finisher during the 200-yard breaststroke (2:11.67).
Honicky also checked in with a third-place performance in the 100 butterfly (52.98) and Shapiro was the third individual to touch the wall in the 200 butterfly (1:57.71).
The Jumbos will be practicing over the next couple weeks for the NESCAC Championships, which will be held on Feb. 17-19 at Wesleyan in Middletown, Connecticut.
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