Syracuse University
Syracuse Invitational
Swimming and Diving Opens 2009 Season
10/17/2009 10:20:01 PM | Swimming / Diving
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse swimming and diving team opened its 2009-10 campaign on Friday and Saturday, hosting the Syracuse Invitational at the Max Newman and Webster pools. The Orange posted 21 top ten finishes against competitors from Army and Marist.
Junior Kuba Kotynia set the tone for the men, tallying four gold medal finishes. The Lodz, Poland native earned first-place finishes in the 200 yard IM (1:56.16), 400 yard IM (4:12.20), 100 yard breaststroke (58.13), 200 yard breaststroke (2:07.35) while teaming up with seniors Ryan Corcoran, Alex Taraskin and Ben Santerre for a third-place finish in the 400 yard freestyle relay (3:18.94).
Taraskin was also a top performer for SU, finishing fourth in the 100 yard freestyle (48.64), seventh in the 50 yard freestyle (22.21) and eighth in the 200 yard freestyle (1:48.40). Taraskin also combined with Corcoran, freshman Chad Flanick and senior Danny Barry for a sixth place finish in the 200 yard freestyle relay with a 1:32.54. Corcoran added a seventh-place finish in the 50 yard freestyle (22.21) and a ninth-place finish in the 100 yard freestyle (49.64).
Syracuse also had two additional relay teams place in the top ten as sophomores Eric Vaughn, Josh Wilbur, Hunt Lau and senior Tim Holland teamed up to finish eighth in the 200 yard freestyle relay (1:42.60). Vaughn, Wilbur, Lau and Barry also posted an eighth-place finish in the 400 yard freestyle relay (3:41.04).
In diving competition, freshman Nick Mancini finished ninth in one-meter competition (183.35) while posting a 10th-place finish from three-meters (177.25).
Junior Stephanie Kuczynski set the pace for the women, finishing fifth in the 200 yard breaststroke (2:31.69), sixth in the 100 yard breaststroke (1:10.62), eighth in the 200 yard IM (2:17.33) and posted a 15th place finish in the 50 yard freestyle (26.37).
Sophomore Chelsea Bryan notched an eighth-place finish in the 50 yard freestyle (25.84), while coming in at 11th in the 200 yard freestyle (2:09.43) and 12th in the 100 yard freestyle (57.87). Junior Katie Lewinski added a pair of 14th-place finishes, touching the wall at 26.35 in the 50 yard freestyle and posted a 58.93 finish in the 100 yard freestyle.
Senior Kirsten Thomas represented the Orange in diving competition, earning the bronze in 3-meter competition with a 188.80 while finishing sixth from 1-meter (152.6).
The Orange is back in the pool on Saturday, November 7 when it travels to Ithaca, N.Y. to face in-state foe Cornell.
