Men's Swimming & Diving Falls to Wheaton in Dual Meet Opener

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's swimming & diving team started the dual meet season with a tough setback to Wheaton College.

The Bears were defeated, 164.5-117.5, at the Dr. Mary Jo Moriarty Swimming Pool on Saturday afternoon, the Lyons' sixth straight victory over BSU.

Junior Jirat Saengthong (Watertown, Mass.) and senior Robbie Soucy (Frye Island, Maine) won a pair of events each for the Bears.

Saengthong was first in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 48.91 seconds and he also finished first in the 50-yard butterfly in 23.73 seconds.

Soucy was the lone diver and scored 195.90 points on the 3-meter board and 165.20 points on the 1-meter board.

Junior Aaron Fowler (Brookline, Mass.) was first in one event and second in another.

Fowler won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.95 seconds. He finished second in the 50-yard backstroke in 25.57 seconds.

Senior Desmond Ng (Petaling Jaya, Malaysia) won the 50-yard breaststroke with a time of 27.23 seconds.

Ng also finished second in the 100 backstroke with a time of 55.85 seconds.

Ng, Fowler and Saengthony joined freshman Wilco Zbitnoff (Haverhill, Mass.) on the 400 medley relay team that was second in a time of 3:36.34.

Zbitnoff was second in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:31.40.

Freshman Kaua Deassis (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) placed second in the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 56.91 seconds.

Senior Richard Palanza (Mansfield, Mass.) tied for second in the 50-yard freestyle in 23:41 seconds and was third in the 50-yard butterfly in 25.84.

In the 100-yard breaststroke, senior Ryan McKenzie (Charlton, Mass.) was second in 1:05.64 while freshman James Hein (Holliston, Mass.) was in third in 1:05.91.

BSU will travel to Vermont on Sunday, Nov. 9 to go against Saint Michael's and Maine Maritime Academy.

Wheaton (1-1) is at Springfield on Saturday at 11 a.m.