POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 15, 2016) — The Vassar College men's swimming and diving team is hoping to get its first win of the new year Saturday when it races Hamilton College and Rochester Institute of Technology for two dual meets. First race is set for 1 p.m. at Bristol Pool in Clinton, NY.

Meet Details
Opponents: Hamilton College (2-0), Rochester Institute of Technology (4-2, 1-1 Liberty)
Links: 
(Vassar Men's Swimming Home Page) (Roster) (Schedule) 
Site: Clinton, NY
Facility: Bristol Pool
Date: January 16, 2016
Time: 1:00 p.m. Saturday
Live Coverage: N/A
Twitter Coverage: @VassarSwimDive
 
What To Look For
The Vassar College men's swimming team is looking to get back on the winning side of things Saturday after dropping its previous three meets. A 174-113 loss to Trinity College (Conn.) on Thursday has dropped the Brewers to 2-4. On the other hand, Hamilton College of NESCAC has been unstoppable this season, taking first place in every Invitational thus far and winning both of its two meets. Vassar and Hamilton will also be competing against the Rochester Institute of Technology, which most recently placed third of nine teams in the Liberty League Championship in early December.

A Look At The Brewers
- Vassar most recently fell, 174-113, to Trinity College (Conn.) in South Hadley, MA, giving the Brewers a 2-4 mark after starting the season 2-1. Sophomore Jonah Strand (Woodstock, NY/Onteora Central) chalked up a pair of victories Thursday afternoon, but in the end, the Bantams earned their first win of the season.
- Against Trinity, Jonah Strand wasn't challenged in either of the breaststroke events, rolling to a 1:01.55 victory in the 100 breaststroke and a 2:16.65 in the 200 breast. In the longer distance race, Strand won by more than seven seconds. He also chalked up a pair of second-place finishes, coming in second in the 200 IM with a 2:05.77 while helping the Vassar "A" 200 medley relay to a time of 1:43.19.
- A few freshman earned points for the Brewers during their strong showings versus the Trinity Bantams. Alex May (Wallingford, CT/Lyman Hall) won the 1000 free, as he raced to a time of 10:38.70. May returned to action for the 500 free and finished second after posting a time of 5:14.51, while fellow freshman Ian LaBash (Sudio City, CA/Cleveland) finished third in the same distance with a 5:19.90. First-year swimmer Lukas Harries (Raleigh, NC/Lee Academy) also finished the 100 freestyle with a fifth-place 53.27 time.
- The divers also had a strong day for the Brewers, as Clancy Green (La Verkin, UT/Eastern Mennonite) won the 3-meter event with 148.20 points. Green also added more valuable points in the 1-meter dive, finishing second on 161.70 points with teammate Marvin Corleto (Los Angeles, CA/Camino Nuevo) going over the century mark for the first time with 102.95 points.
- Prior to their meet versus Trinity, the Brewers finished fourth of nine teams on Day 1 of the Liberty League Championships and sixth of nine teams on Day 2, collection 523.50 points for the weekend of Dec. 4-5.
- The Brewers have collectively gotten better as the season progresses, breaking seasonal team-bests for 16 racing categories at the Liberty League Championships, including the 100-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly.
- Vassar's breaststroke swimmers have proved to be competitive in the conference. Specifically, Jonah Strand (Woodstock, NY/Onteora Central) finished the 100-yard race of the Liberty League Championships in less than a minute at 59.59 for third place. The other two swimmers in the 100-yard breaststroke also improved their season-best times.
- Three Brewers from the 2014-15 squad return for this season after earning Liberty League All-Academic Team honors. Chris Cerutti (Mount Kisco, NY/Fox Lane), Isaiah Hale (Dansville, NY/Dansville) and Anthony Walker (Madison, WI/James Madison Memorial) came into the last season carrying at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average after at least one year of full residency. They were of six total Brewers to earn honors and join 40 others from around the conference.
- Besides racing RIT during invitational meets, the Brewers have yet to face the Tigers since they joined the Liberty League in the 2011-12 academic year.

A Look At The Hamilton College Continentals
- The Continentals are perfect on the season, having placed first in all four of their invitationals and having won both of their meets against Trinity and Wesleyan. They'll be looking to keep their hot start rolling against Vassar and RIT, which are both coming off of losses.
- The Continentals' schedule is just starting to pick up. With two January outings under their belt already, they compete four more times this month.
- The Continentals' most recent showing, a first-place finish in the Founders' Invitational in Islamorada, FL, was their first competition on the road since racing Trinity in November.
- Hamilton crushed its opponents in the Founders' Invitational, piling up 724 points. Runner-up Washington (MD) College scored 432 points ahead of Colby Sawyer College (188) and Cazenovia College (170). 

A Look At The Rochester Institute Of Technology Tigers
- After dropping their first meet, the RIT Tigers enjoyed a four-meet winning streak with victories against Oswego State, Alfred University, Fredonia State University and St. Lawrence University. Their second loss came in November when they fell to Division II Le Moyne College, 149-151.
- The Tigers haven't competed in more than a month, but in their most recent outing, they placed third of nine teams, wracking up 891 points in the Liberty League Championship At RPI and Union in early December. RIT looks to get back on track when it faces Vassar and Hamilton.
- RIT has proved to perform well in teams, as suggested by their success in relay races. On Day 1 of the Liberty League Championship, RIT placed fourth in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a team of Matt Berus, Derek Brown, Steven Paine and John O'Gorman finishing with a 1:28.23 time.
- On the second day of the Championship, the Tigers finished third in both the 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay. Derek Rothrock, Shawn Nevers, Derek Brown and Daniel Yuen-Schat finished the 200-yard race in 1:38.99, and Steven Paine, John O'Gorman, Brown and Rothrock finished the 400-yard freestyle in 3:14.24.

Up Next
The Vassar College men's swimming team will be back in action Wednesday, Jan. 27 when they travel to compete against Montclair State University. First race is set for 6 p.m. in Montclair, NJ.