The Colgate men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were back in action this week as they took on Niagara University and Canisius College in back-to-back meets at the Lineberry Natatorium. On Saturday, November 4, both teams took on the Golden Griffins of Canisius. The men started out with the quad of first-year Camden Koch, junior Trey Johnson, sophomore Colton Hall and junior Max Michael who earned second in the men’s 400m medley and gave the Raiders four points.

However, Canisius would sweep the top three spots in the men’s 1000m freestyle before Koch and fellow first-year Ehran Rhodes were able to get the Raiders another five points in the men’s 200m freestyle. Colgate was able to add another four points in the men’s 100m backstroke and 200m butterfly as Hall and Michael were both able to finish second respectively. On the women’s side, Colgate was able to jump out to an early lead due to first place finishes in the women’s 400m medley thanks to sophomore Carolyn Silverman, sophomore Kiersten Daly, senior captain Maggie Carney and senior Maddy Fitzgerald. 

Additionally, junior Erica Silverman took first place in the women’s 1000m freestyle. Colgate continued its hot streak by placing second and third in the 200m freestyle and the 100m backstroke where Silverman finished first. In diving, first-year Caroline LaPlante continued her hot streak taking first in both the 1m and 3m diving events. The men’s final score was 93.5-187.5 in favor of Canisius while the women were able to squeak out a 160-128 victory. 

Both teams were back at it on Sunday, November 5, for another joint meet, this time against Niagara. The men won their first two races, taking the 200m medley and the 1000m freestyle courtesy of Rhodes, who edged out a win by just .2 seconds. The men were also able to record wins in the 100m backstroke and 200m butterfly as Koch and Hall both placed first respectively. On the diving platform, Colgate secured the top two spots in both the 3m and 1m diving events with senior Thomas Fretz taking first and senior Mel Phillips taking second in both events. Tied at 100 points each with five events to go, the men managed to win four of the final five to pull away and secure their first victory of the season 156-13. 

The women’s team went up early after the first two events, taking a 22-11 lead thanks to sweeping the 1000m freestyle with Daly, first-year Beth Caruana and senior Bernadette Tankle taking spots one, two and three respectively. The Raiders continued its winning streak as Carolyn Silverman and Erica Silverman  won the 100m backstroke and 200m butterfly respectively. In diving, it was once again the LaPlante show as she won both of the events with scores over 235. LaPlante has quickly emerged as one of the Patriot League’s top divers, winning all four of her events this weekend to go along with winning back-to-back Patriot League Female Diver of the Week honors. 

Both teams will be off next week and will return to action at the Terrier Invitational hosted by Boston University in Boston on November 17.

Contact Gideon Hamot at [email protected].