New beginnings bring the promise of new hope for the Buffalo men's and women's swimming teams this season. The Bulls (2-0) are coming off a forgettable season in which each team finished last in the Mid-American Conference Championships and ended with a losing record. However, the Bulls' recent influx of freshman talent on both teams is causing a major turnaround.
Saturday, the men's team rode their wave of momentum into the Oxy Aquatic Center, where they defeated local rival Niagara University, 184-106.
The Bulls' freshmen dominated the competition, as they won 12 of the 16 events. Simon Hall placed first in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.32 and the 100-yard freestyle in 49.21. In addition, Hall anchored the Bulls' 400-yard medley relay to victory. Five other Buffalo freshmen recorded victories with four of the five winning two events each.
"Overall we're a pretty young team," said Buffalo head coach Budd Termin. "Our last core of players graduated last year and we have our new core this year. They are a very talented group."
This week's MAC swimmer of the week, freshman Connor Vander Zalm, was victorious in both the 500-yard and 1,000 yard freestyle and finished with times of 4:48.32 and 10:02.18.
Freshmen Andrew Tamchyna and Kevin Song each swept their respective competitions in the 100 and 200-yard events. Tanchyna won the 100-yard backstroke in 54.47 and the 200-yard in 1:58.30. Song finished with times of 1:03.93 in the 100-yard butterfly and 2:15.33 in the 200-yard event
Freshman Michael McDowell dominated the diving competition as he won both the three-meter and one-meter portions. McDowell finished with a six dive total of 277.35 points in the three meter and 276.3 points in the one meter.
This marks the 27th straight time Buffalo has defeated Niagara in a match, which dates back to 1948.
The Bulls women's swimming and diving team fell just short against MAC rival Akron this weekend despite great performances from their youngest players. The Bulls were led by dominating individual performances from many of their youngest swimmers. However, as a team they lost by a score of 168-127.
The Bulls were led by several freshmen that have proven to have a big impact on the development of the team. Freshman Ashley Shaffert placed first in the 100-meter breaststroke, finishing with a time of 1:07.14. Fellow freshman Samantha Palma won both the 50 and 100-yard freestyle with times of 24.82 and 53.97.
On the diving side of the meet, freshman Meili Carpenter had an outstanding performance in both the one-meter and three-meter dives. Carpenter earned first-place in the one-meter with a score of 283.50 and finished second in the three-meter dive with a score of 293.10.
The Bulls were also victors in the four person 200-meter freestyle relay and were able to claim the top three spots in the 200-yard individual medley, with senior Frances Stephenson finishing first.
Despite the winless start to its season, head coach Andy Bashor knows his team is working hard every week and will continue to improve because of its young talent.
"The goal is simple," Bashor said. "We're trying to get better every week. They're racing against the clock, so even though we might not win the meet, we can have everyone earn best times."
This match marked the third of four straight road meets to open the season for the Bulls. Buffalo opened the season with losses to MAC opponents Miami (Ohio) and Ball State. Despite the outcomes, the Bulls did better than in the previous matches.
"I was very pleased with the performance on Friday, much better than last week," Bashor said. "A lot of it had to do with the bus ride. We went to Ball State and Miami of Ohio which is an eight-hour bus ride."
Despite the loss, the Bulls know that with continued improvement they will be able to steadily excel and better last season's outcome as well as achieve their ultimate goal.
"We need to keep performing each week to where we're peaking in March for our MAC Championships," said Bashor.
The women's team continues their season Saturday at 1 p.m. in Toledo, Ohio. The men's team will hit the water to battle for local supremacy as they face off against Canisus this Friday. The match will be held at Alumni Arena and are set to begin at 6 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
