Perfect season for MIT
Swimming and diving team caps off season with victory over Amherst
The MIT men’s swimming and diving team defeated Amherst College by a 168-point margin. The victory ends the Engineers’ dual meet season with a perfect 7–0 record, the first time the Engineers have gone undefeated since the 2012–13 season.
The morning session saw the Engineers take five of the six events they competed in. The tone was set from the beginning as the Engineers led off the meet in the 200 freestyle relay with a one-two finish. Jeremy Bogle ’18, Joshua Tomazin ’18, Dane Erickson ’18, and Daryl Neubieser ’16 won the meet’s opening event in 1:24.73.
The next contested event, the 200 butterfly, saw the Engineers’ lone loss of the morning with Amherst’s Jeff Anderson placing first in 1:52.74. Gavin Brown ’19 and John Matthews ’17 finished second and third, respectively, for MIT, with times of 1:52.89 and 1:53.63, both of which met the NCAA “B” cut standard.
Over the next five events, MIT claimed the top two finishes in each race. With a time of 1:43.31, Daniel Smith ’19 won the 200 freestyle for the fourth meet in a row. Aaron Huang ’19 took home the 100 breaststroke in 57.85. Alex Lednev ’16 earned the victory in the 100 backstroke with a 51.25, while Tomazin dashed to victory in the 50 free in 21.20.
MIT placed first and third in the final morning event, the 400 medley relay. The Engineers “A,” “B,” and “C” teams all finished within 0.30 seconds of one another. The “B” relay, comprising Mattix ’16, Justin Chiu ’18, Michael Hill ’19, and Bogle, earned the touch-out at the end with a time of 3:26.60.
The afternoon session began very much the way the morning session ended, with MIT ending the second session with a perfect eight for eight on event wins. The “B” 200 medley relay of Mattix ’16, Brandon McKenzie ’19, Hill, and Tomazin started off the night with a 1:33.76 win for the Engineers. A pair of freshman took home the next two events with Josh Graves ’19 earning a victory in the 500 freestyle (4:38.83) and Hill winning the 100 butterfly in 50.55.
MIT registered 1-2-3 finishes over the next three events. Douglas Kogut ’18 led the way in the 200 backstroke, going 1:53.82, before Huang picked up his second victory of the day in the 200 breaststroke. Huang’s time of 2:05.12 was fast enough for an NCAA “B” cut. Tomazin earned his second victory of the day in the 100 freestyle in 47.28, narrowly touching out Neubieser who finished in 47.32.
Brown then posted a first-place finish in the 200 IM, going 1:55.45, before the Engineers grabbed the top four positions in the men’s 400 freestyle relay to close the meet. The quad of Smith, Tomazin, Erickson, and Neubieser took home the race with a time of 3:07.99.
MIT will return to action on February 18 to 21 when the Engineers host the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championships inside the Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center. The first session will begin at 6 p.m. that Thursday evening.