The Binghamton swimming and diving teams secured a sweep over Marist on senior day to cap off its regular season. The men’s team secured a dominant 210-81 victory, while the women’s side commanded a 183.5-112.5 win. The meet, which featured six pool records shattered, also saw three different Bearcats notching three individual victories each.
“I was really pleased with how our team competed today,” said Binghamton head coach Jerry Cummiskey. “Coming off a tough weekend last week, I thought we did a great job of racing and pushing ourselves to reach another level. We had a lot of great swims, six pool records and a lot of great overall competition.”
Sophomore Harrison Lambert achieved triple individual wins to close off the season. Lambert swept the 400 IM with a finish of 3:58.18, the 200m fly with a finish of 1:51.67 and the 500m free with a finish of 4:34.56. His 400 IM time is now an all-time pool record, beating the previous pool record of 4:02.64, which was set by Pietro Ubertalli of Cornell in 2022.
“It was a great way to finish our season and excited for what’s to come at the end of February,” Cummiskey said.
Other notable performances on the men’s side included senior Elijah Lanfear and freshman Tyler Schultz. Lanfear capped off a stellar season by winning his 17th and 18th individual events of the year. He swept the 50 free and 100 free with respective finishes of 20.60 and 44.69, breaking his own 100m free pool record of 45.30, which he set last year. Lanfear has been a beacon of success for the Bearcats, consistently leading the team with outstanding performances. Schultz took first place in the 50m breast, finishing with a time of 26.15, and the 100 IM with a time of 52.52.
“[Lanfear] has been consistent and always ready to race regardless of how he feels,” Cummiskey said. “He does a good job of doing what he needs to do to get his hand on the wall.”
Schultz also swam on the first-place 200 medley relay and 400 free relay teams. In the 200 medley relay, Schultz teamed up with Lanfear, junior Max Kaback and junior Liam Preston to achieve a combined finish of 1:31.36. In the 400 free relay, Preston, Lanfear, sophomore Cullin Cole and freshman Evan Peters broke the pool record with a time of 3:00.35. The previous mark of 3:01.74 was set by Binghamton in 2023. Peters and freshman Amir Sadykov contributed two more pool records for the Bearcats. Peters set a new standard in the 200 back with a time of 1:48.12. Sadykov followed suit in the 200 breast with a time of 2:04.15.
“[Peters’] 400 medley performance was a lifetime best time — a great swim,” Cummiskey said. “He is very versatile and can just race. His backstroke was the fastest it’s ever been, and I think there’s a lot more in there. We’re excited to see how he progresses.”
On the women’s side, they were led by senior Lauren Kuzma and junior Maria Pignatelli, who both recorded triple individual events over the weekend. Kuzma was tied for first with graduate student Courtney Moane in the 50 breast with a time of 29.96. Kuzma also won the 400 IM and finished at 4:30.01 while setting the pool record for the 200 breast with a time of 2:16.78. In doing so, she bested her 2023 mark of 2:17.25. Pignatelli, meanwhile, secured the 50 free, 100 free and 100 IM, clocking in at 23.74, 51.49 and 57.84.
“[Kuzma and Pignatelli] have been consistent studs for us all year,” Cummiskey said. “Their swimming is faster now than it’s ever been. We’ll see what more they have in them — they look good, and we hope to see a little more out of them along the way.”
As for diving, junior Elizabeth Tirado and graduate student Kylie McKee finished first and second in the three-meter diving competition. Tirado ended with a score of 248.15, while McKee finished with 227.55. The men’s divers were highlighted by freshman Jacob Koclanis finishing first for the men’s one-meter diving with a score of 258.15 and sophomore Dylan Norby, who finished with a score of 250.10.
“[Diving] has been good,” Cummiskey said. “[Tirado] has been consistent, and all of those girls are battling and working hard to continue to get better. The guys have been the same. They’ve had a good stretch here through the training trip and break. We’re excited to see what they can do. It’s nice to finish the regular season with winning records, and now we’ll focus on the championship.”
Binghamton will now prepare for the America East championship, running from Wednesday, Feb. 19, through Saturday, Feb. 22. The first race is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia.