Binghamton University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams took to the water for the first time in the 2010-11 season this past weekend at the WNY Invitational. Among the competition in this non-scoring event were teams representing the University at Buffalo, Niagara University, Canisius College and Saint Bonaventure University.

A pool-less preseason left the Binghamton squads scrambling for water and workout opportunities, but that didn’t seem to tamper with their fitness, as senior captain Lyndsi Worthington believes the team is in a position to succeed.

‘Given the circumstances, it was a solid first meet,’ Worthington said. ‘We are right where we need to be at this point in the season, and we are just excited to get things started.’

Sophomore Tiffany Siu picked up where she left off last season, with two victories in the meet. Breaking her own record in the 400 IM with a time of 4:26:06, Siu also touched first in the 200 fly. Siu teamed up with fellow sophomore Caitlin Nelson and senior pair Brittany Detlef and Danielle Gallo for a third-place finish in the 200-medley relay (1:51.79).

Sophomore Maria Mazzoni picked up a third-place finish of her own, finishing the 200 free with a time of 1:58.96.

The boards were represented by strong junior returners Jenna Easton and Morgan Neal, who both are coming off impressive sophomore campaigns.

‘The balance and distribution of talent is great this year,’ Worthington said. ‘The ability to have points come off freshman through seniors is really going to help us through conference play.’

The men were equally successful as last season’s MVP, junior Nolan Slesnick, picked up a victory in the 400 IM (4:13.52), touched third in the 500 free (4:47.13) and glided into seventh place in the 200 back (2:02.15). Senior captain Jason Chen also garnered a victory of his own when he finished the 100 fly in 51.58 seconds.

Junior Joe Perez-Rogers performed admirably as he finished in the top five in four events. Perez-Rogers’ top finish came in the 100 back, in which he finished second with a time of 52.57. Sophomore Josh Saccurato touched third in the 200 back (1:59.48).

Foreshadowing what they hope to be another eye-opening season, the Bearcats catch a break until Nov. 5-6 when they are set to host the University of Massachusetts in the West Gym.