Men’s Swim and Dive Falls To MIT in First Loss of Season, Bounces Back against Springfield

The Amherst men’s swim and dive team suffered their first loss of the season on Feb. 2 falling a score of 189-111 against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), whose team is ranked fifth in the nation.

However, the Mammoths were able to rebound and defeat Springfield College the next day, 179-105, finishing their regular season 7-1 and regaining momentum leading into the NESCAC Championships.

Although they lost, some Amherst men were able to find success against the Engineers. Craig Smith ’20 swept both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events. Sean Mebust ’20 replicated this success in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events. Eric Wong ’20 snagged a win in the 500-yard freestyle event as well. Even though MIT swept the rest of the events, the Mammoths kept the meet close by finishing second in a number of the other disciplines.

After experiencing their first taste of defeat on Saturday, the Mammoths bounced back to trounce Springfield the next day, winning 12 events. Many Amherst swimmers found success on Sunday, with several swimmers winning events.

Smith and Wong continued their success against Springfield. In addition to his team winning the 200-yard medley relay, Scott Romeyn ’22 notched his first individual event win in the 100-yard freestyle.

Josh Chen ’19 swept the 50-yard and 100-yard breaststroke events, while Ang Li ’21 took the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard freestyle events.

Additionally, Tristan So ’21 won the 50-yard freestyle while Jack Koravos ’20 finished first in the 100-yard butterfly.

Adi Arifovic ’21 finished the Mammoths’ streak of success by winning the 500-yard freestyle.

In diving, Bennett Fagan took the three-meter diving event for the Mammoths, culminating in a day of success for the team.

The Mammoths will look to continue their successful regular season at the NESCAC Championships on Feb. 22 at 9 a.m.