POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (October 16, 2019) - It was an outstanding season opener for the Vassar College men's and women's swimming & diving teams on Wednesday as both squads bested Liberty League-rival Bard College at Kresge Pool. The Brewers men posted a 175-56 victory, while the VC women were victorious by a 157-73 margin.

The season kicked-off with the women's 200-yard medley relay as the foursome of junior Rhea Randhawa (Dix Hills, NY), freshman Lillian Lowenthal (Baltimore, MD), junior Brynn Lautenbacher (Dunwoody, GA) and freshman Abby Whittington (Sandy, UT) earned victory with a time of 1:54.83. VC's second relay team of junior Angharad Healey (Summit, NJ), sophomore Abigail Jenkins (Frisco, TX), freshmen Grace Myers (Havertown, PA) and Sophie Forbes (San Angelo, TX) came in just behind with a runner-up finish of 1:59.68.

In the men's 200-yard medley relay, Vassar saw freshman Nick D'Arrigo (Williamsville, NY), sophomore Nikolas Pham (Lancaster, PA) and seniors Harrison Taylor (Wyandanch, NY) and Matthew Imiolek (St. Louis, MO) won with a time of 1:41.73. The foursome of sophomore Ethan Skuches (Milford, CT), freshman Anthony Cheng (Cherry Hill, NJ), sophomore Jake Mier (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) and freshman Robbie Perot (Lititz, PA) was second with a mark of 1:44.20, while the group of freshman Leroy Wang (Burnaby, BC), junior Danny Dunn (Rockville, MD) and sophomores Brandon Li (Whippany, NJ) and Diego Barrutia (Troy, NY) were third with a time of 1:52.97.

In the 1000-yard freestyle, the women's side was won by Healey with a time of 11:32.82. She was followed by Whittington with a time of 11:44.34 and Jenkins with a mark of 12:25.54. On the men's side, Perot was the victor with a time of 10:05.99, followed by senior Jordan Kalina in second with a time of 10:51.34.

Next up saw action in the 200-yard freestyle as sophomore Jesse Ecklund (Missoula, MT) posted the win with a time of 2:03.25. Classmate Violet Witchel (Durango, CO) was second with a time of 2:10.53. The men's race was won by Skuches with a time of 1:52.65. Freshman Jason Albaum (Kennebunk, ME) was second with a mark of 1:56.81, while Wang was third, touching the wall with a time of 2:01.38. In the women's 100-yard backstroke, Randhawa was victorious with a time of 1:01.74, while senior Laura Vidano (San Francisco, CA) took third with a time of 1:06.70. The men's event was won by junior Max White, who cruised to victory in a time of 55.23. Sophomore Duncan Webber (New York, NY) was second with a time of 1:04.06, while Barrutia was fourth with a mark of 1:14.29.

The women's 100-yard breaststroke saw Jenkins claim victory with a mark of 1:18.92. Senior Abby Kirsch (Terra Haute, IN) was third with a time of 1:22.60. Cheng won the men's 100-back with a time of 1:02.70, followed by Dunn in second with a mark of 1:13.00. Lowenthal earned the win in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:11.92, while Myers was second (2:14.24). Mier was the victor on the men's side with a mark of 2:01.44. D'Arrigo took second with a time of 2:10.24, while Taylor was third (2:14.35). The 50-yard freestyle wrapped up the first half of the meet with Witchel earning the win for the women with a time of 25.94, while on the men's side Imiolek posted a mark of 23.18 for victory.

In the 1-meter diving, freshman Evelyn Boyle (Baton Rouge, LA) posted a score of 127.80 points, while on the men's 3-meter, sophomore Lawrence Barr-Forget (Westhampton Beach, NY) won with a score of 142.30 points.

Swimming action resumed with the 100-yard free as Myers earned the win with a time of 54.83. Whittington had a mark of 57.69, while Forbes was third with a time of 1:01.11. The men's side saw victory by Wang with a time of 53.16. Imiolek was second with 53.38, while freshman Nathan Johnson (Kingston, Jamaica) was third (1:05.51). Randhawa was the winner in the 200-yard back with a mark of 2:13.68, while Skuches posted a time of 2:05.01 on the men's side for the win.

The 200-breast saw Jenkins claim victory on the women's side, notching a time of 2:52.59, while Cheng was the winner on the men's with a time of 2:20.64. In the 500-yard free, Witchel posted the top time of 5:59.37, while White owned the men's best mark of 5:05.42. In the 100-yard butterfly, Lowenthal posted a top time of 59.50, while Taylor cruised for a time of 56.03 on the men's side.

In the 3-meter diving for the women, Boyle notched a top score of 133.30 points, while in the men's 1-meter diving, Barr-Forget had the top score of 132.75 points, followed by sophomore Sam Murphy (Los Angeles, CA) with a score of 127.85.

The final events of the night were the women's and men's 400-yard free relays. On the women's side, the foursome of Whittington, Ecklund, Randhawa and Lautenbacher had the best time of 3:50.59, while the men's side saw Pham, White, Imiolek and Perot combine for a time of 3:26.86.

Vassar's squads return to action on Saturday, October 26 when they travel to Brandeis University for a 1pm dual meet against the Judges.