Men's Swimming Defeats Bucknell, 158-83

Sunday, January 17

Lewisburg, Pa.

1 p.m.

Columbia

158

Bucknell

1/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving

By: Columbia University Athletics

NEW YORK - The Columbia men's swimming & diving team defeated Bucknell soundly today in the first dual meet of the 2010 calendar year, beating the Bison 158-83. The meet saw Columbia win all but two of the day's events, and with the victory, the Lions improve to 3-2 in dual meets overall this season.

The meet opened with a resounding win in the 400 medley relay. The Columbia squad of Johnny Bailey, Eric Tang, Bruno Esquen and Darren Pagan took first with a time of 3:27.40, while the group of Nathan Mormann, Ross Ramone, Nick Barron and Jordan Kobb took points in third place, with a final time of 3:33.95.

First-year Sean MacKenzie had Columbia's first individual win of the day, as he took the top spot in the 1000 free, with a time of 9:37.83, nearly ten seconds faster than his nearest competitor. Sophomores Chester Dols and Alex Smith also had point-scoring swims for the Lions, as the duo places third and fourth place respectively. The 50 free saw another Columbia win, as junior Adam Powell continued his hot streak, taking the top spot in 20.46 seconds. Powell also took first in the 100 free, finishing in 46.31. Senior captain Darren Pagan kept the momentum going for the Lions, taking first place in the 200 IM in 1:54.52, while first year Erik Mai took third, in 1:57.71.

The 1-meter dive saw first-year Jason Collazo score 266.25 points to take first, while junior David Levkoff (244.80) and first-year Michaelangelo Borghi (238.72) took third and fourth. In the 3-meter competition, Collazo took first once more, scoring 280.65 points.

The 200 fly saw a 1-2 finish for the Lions, as Bruno Esquen won the event in 1:55.61, while senior Nick Barron was right behind him for second, in 1:57.23. The second distance event of the day, the 500 free, saw MacKenzie on top for the Lions once again. Earning his second win of the day, he came in with a final time of 4:41.06.

The last individual event of the day, the 200 breast, saw Columbia go 1-2-3, and solidify its win. Senior Eric Tang took the top spot with a final time of 2:08.05, just ahead of classmate Ross Ramone, who came in second in 2:08.15. First-year Mai completed the sweep, hitting the wall in 2:11.35. The Lions finished the day in style with one last win in the 200 free relay, as the squad of Esquen, Patrick Dougherty, Kobb and Powell took first, in 1:25.78. The group of Joseph Jeffers, John Wright, Johnny Bailey and Mitchell Phillips scored points in third, finishing in 1:29.14.

Up next, the Lions return home for one of the most popular meets of the season, the 2010 homecoming meet. Saturday, January 23, the Lions will take on Ivy League foe Cornell, in a dual meet slated to start at 4 p.m.