By Joseph Caruso
Sports Editor
The College’s men’s swimming team took home first place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships, dominating all four days in the Virginia contest.
On the first day, the Lions set a NJAC Championship record, beating their own previous best time in the 200-medley relay, finishing in first with a time of 1:26.82. Senior Andrew Kidchob, along with sophomores Tyler McGeehan, Joe McChesney and M.J. Hoban led the way for the College.
The Lions also had three of the top seven divers, featuring senior Wyatt Marble, junior Josh Bouchard and sophomore Joshua Kosukhin. The College concluded the first day atop the leaderboard, registering 201 points.
The second day saw the Lions flexing their muscles yet again, winning every event and further distancing themselves from the competition. The crew of Kidchob, McChesney, Hoban and McGeehan had another record-breaking performance, this time in the 400-medley relay, finishing in 3:12.55, with Kidchob’s opening split setting a record as well.
Junior Steven Bendoraitis set an NJAC record of his own, finishing the 500 freestyle in 4:26.12 to take home another first place finisher for the Lions. The College had four of the top five finishers in the event, including senior Gavin Formon who came in second.
Hoban and McChesney concluded the day with first and second place finishes in the 50-IM, with times of 20.05 and 20.85. The College remained atop the standings after sweeping the day, leading the championships with 613 points through two days.
The Lions started the weekend picking up where they left off, winning five different events on Saturday. The College started off winning the 200 freestyle relay, led by McChesney, Kidchob, Hoban and junior Bradley Frank, setting an NJAC record with a time of 1:21.08.
McChesney narrowly edged out teammate Kidchob in the 100-butterfly, where the Lions finished first and third with times of 47.19 and 48.58.
Bendoraitis was victorious in the 200-freestyle, ending the streak of consecutive first-place finishes for the Lions, as they couldn’t close out the sweep in the 100-breaststroke, but McGeehan finished second place to cap off the day. The Lions headed into the fourth and final day of the NJAC Championships with a firm grasp on first place, holding the top spot with a commanding 1,188 points.
On the final day, the College looked to put together one final masterclass on the season, and earned wins in five different events, led by a plethora of swimmers.
Kidchob wrapped up his amazing season with days worth of first place finishes and record-setting performances. His laundry list of accomplishments cement him as one of the best swimmers in school history, including five NCAA All-American nods, and soon to be three NCAA qualifications.
McGeehan and McChesney also had stellar seasons, and have a chance to bolster their careers as they look to improve in their junior and senior years.
When it was all said and done, the College completed the wire to wire championship victory, totaling 1,709 points on their way to their fifth straight NJAC Championship. The divers will look to finish their season on Saturday, Feb. 27, in the diving regionals.
