The men’s and women’s swim teams took to the pool one last time before conference championships this past Saturday, Feb. 4, as they finished their dual-meet schedule against Ramapo College. This meet also marked Senior Day celebrations for the Rangers, as Jordan Jessup (’17) and Peter Mari (’17) were honored before the meet began.
The women beat Ramapo soundly 134-116. The victory was cemented by Jessup as she swam the first leg of the first-place 200-yard freestyle relay, making her last swim in the F. M. Kirby pool a victorious one. Jessup also placed second in 100 and 200-yard backstroke and third in the 50 yard freestyle, helping to bolster Drew’s score and lead them to victory. In addition to the victory in the freestyle relay, several other swimmers picked up first place victories, including first place wins in the 100, 200 and 500 yard freestyle events by Mal Vishwanath (’20).
The men’s team was not victorious against the Roadrunners, dropping the meet 146-114. Despite the setback, this marks the first time in 15 years that both the men’s and women’s teams have ended their dual meet season with a winning record. Mari edged out his competitor to secure the fourth place spot in the 200-yard breastroke, also competing in the 100-yard breastroke, the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard team medley to finish his career swimming at Drew. In addition to Mari’s strong performance, Jack Mahoney (’20) won the 50, 100 and 200 yard freestyle events to help contribute to the Ranger’s score.
The diving team also had an impressive showing on Saturday. Jenny Stein (’18) posted an NCAA qualifying time in the 1-meter springboard at the New York University Invitational meet, which means she will compete in NCAA regionals at Ithaca College. She broke her previous of 382.75 with an impressive 424.25. In addition, Mitchell Fry (’18) made history and became a record holder by posting the first score on the 1-meter springboard for the men’s diving program.
The Rangers conclude their season Feb. 17-19 at the conference championship meet in Germantown, Md.
