The women captured wins in 11 of 16 events, with senior Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) and juniors Dania Piscetta (Belmont, NH/Belmont) and Nicole Zais (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) each earning individual event victories twice. Senior Stephanie Conelias (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) and sophomore Sarah Miller (Madison, NJ/Madison) also had a hand in two wins apiece.

Meehan was triumphant in the 50-yard backstroke and butterfly events, Piscetta touched the wall first in the 50-yard breaststroke and 100-yard back races, while Zais was victorious in the 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley. Conelias won the 100-yard butterfly, Miller secured the fastest time in the 100 breast, and the tandem joined senior Chelsea Stephenson (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth) and freshman Katie Bordeau (Sanford, ME/Sanford) on the top 400-yard medley relay team.

Rounding out the winners were junior Kathleen Dwyer (Barrington, RI/Barrington) in the 1,000-yard free and sophomore Julia Wright (Pomfret, VT/Northfield Mount Hermon School) in the three-meter dive.

On the men's side, the Lyons carried a 142-134 advantage into the 400-yard free relay and needed either a first-place finish or second- and third-place marks. Wheaton landed a runner-up placement, but Colorado College took first and third, as the hosts fell just short.

Junior Zach Fichman-Klein (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) earned wins in the 50-yard fly and free races, while classmate Corey Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) picked up a victory in the 100-yard fly, edging out a teammate by 0.08 ticks.

Juniors Jonathan Gold (West Harrison, NY/Fordham Prep) and Ben Sabol (Saint Petersburg, FL/Shorecrest Prep) placed first in the three-meter dive and 50-yard back, respectively.

The Lyons hit the road on Saturday when they travel to New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) member Springfield College for a double-dual meet with the Pride and Keene State College at 1:00 p.m. The Pride women are the nine-time defending conference champions.

The fundraiser is held in honor of Ted Mullin, a swimmer at Minnesota-based Carleton College who died in 2006 from sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer. All Division III swimming & diving programs are invited to participate, as 104 squads combined to raise more than $50,000 in 2008. Pledges and donations are gathered for the Ted Mullin Fund for Sarcoma Research at the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital.

Participating teams complete a "Leave it in the Pool" practice, which consists of continuous relays of any stroke for one full hour. Wheaton is among eight participating New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) schools, joining another 22 from the region and nearly 130 college, high school and club teams from around the nation.

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming & diving teams had the rare single-gender dual meets last week, as the women picked up a 160-140 victory against the visiting United States Coast Guard Academy on Friday before the men dropped a pair of decisions to Coast Guard, 196-77 and New York University, 207-95 in a double-dual meet hosted by Coast Guard on Saturday.

Wheaton's women won eight events against the Bears, with juniors Dania Piscetta (Belmont, NH/Belmont) and Nicole Zais (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) and sophomore Julia Wright (Pomfret, VT/Northfield Mount Hermon School) combining to account for all of the victories. Piscetta played a role in four wins, capturing the 100-yard butterfly and 100- and 200-yard freestyle races while anchoring the victorious 400-yard medley relay team, joining Zais, senior Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) and sophomore Taryn Brosnan (Westford, MA/Academy of Notre Dame). Zais captured both the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes, while Wright secured the top scores in the one- and three-meter dives for the third time in as many meets this season.

The Lyon men went up against an NYU team that was 24th at least year's NCAA Championship and a Bear squad that took second at the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) meet. Junior Jonathan Gold (West Harrison, NY/Fordham Prep) earned third-place finishes in the one- and three-meter diving events, falling just 0.40 points shy of second place during the one-meter dive. Sophomore Devon Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) turned in the Lyons' other third-place mark during the 100-yard backstroke.

The Lyons suffered 196-77 and 207-95 setbacks to Coast Guard and NYU, respectively, dropping their season record to 0-5. Coast Guard finished as the runner up at last year's NEWMAC Championship, while NYU came in 24th at the NCAA Championship.

Junior diver Jonathan Gold (West Harrison, NY/Fordham Prep) led Wheaton with two third-place finishes in the one- and three-meter events. In the one-meter dive, he fell just 0.40 points shy of second place. Sophomore Devon Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) turned in the Lyons' other third-place mark during the 100-yard backstroke.

Junior Ben Sabol (Saint Petersburg, FL/Shorecrest Prep) came in fourth in the 100-yard back, while Best, junior Zach Fichman-Klein (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) and freshman Sam Neill (Ludlow, MA/Belchertown) were fifth in the 200-yard back, 100-yard butterfly and 50-yard freestyle races, respectively.

The Lyons also came away with a pair of fifth-place marks in the 200-yard medley and 400-yard free relays. Fichman-Klein, Neill, Sabol and junior Sam Dean-Lee (Rocky Hill, CT/Xavier) swam legs on each.

Wheaton returns to the pool alongside the women on Thursday with a home dual meet against Colorado College at 6:00 p.m.

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming & diving teams posted 14 top-five finishes on Saturday at the non-scoring, four-team Charlie Batterman Relays at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Junior Nicole Zais (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) played a part in four runner-up marks to lead the women, while classmate Dania Piscetta (Belmont, NH/Belmont) and sophomore Sarah Miller (Madison, NJ/Madison) contributed to three apiece.

Zais swam legs on the second-place 200-yard backstroke, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard freestyle and 400-yard medley relays, while Piscetta competed for the 200 back, 200 free and 400 medley quartets. Miller swam the 200 breast, 200 free and 1,500 free. Freshman Caroline Isaacs (San Jose, CA/Archbishop Mitty) was on the runner-up 400 medley and 1,500 free relay quartets, while junior Samantha Farrell (Reading, MA/Reading Memorial) and sophomore Taryn Brosnan (Westford, MA/Academy of Notre Dame) completed legs for the 200 breast and free relay squads, respectively. Senior Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) and freshman Dana Auger (Milford, MA/Milford) rounded out the 200 back foursome, junior Alisha Wilson (Cumberland, ME/Greely) swam a leg on the 400 medley relay team, senior Sarah Houlihan (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield) was one of three Lyons on the 1,500 free relay squad, and freshman Kirstie Parkinson (Singapore, Singapore/Singapore American School) completed the 200 breast quartet.

Sophomore Devon Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) played a role in the 200 back, 200 fly and 1,500 free relay teams earning fourth-place marks on the men's side while also swimming a leg for the fifth-place 400 free relay quartet. Junior Zach Fichman-Klein (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) sided with Best on the 200 back and fly relay teams, while classmate Eddie Gillie (Haverhill, MA/Saint John's Prep) swam the 200 fly and 1,500 free events. Junior Sam Dean-Lee (Rocky Hill, CT/Xavier) competed in the 400 and 1,500 free races, and classmate Ben Sabol (Saint Petersburg, FL/Shorecrest Prep) was in the 200 back and 400 free relays foursomes. Junior Corey Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) completed the 200 back squad, sophomore Charles Western (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham) was on the 200 fly team, and freshman Sam Neill (Ludlow, MA/Belchertown) swam a leg for the 400 free relay quartet.

Junior Nicole Zais (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) played a part in four runner-up marks to lead the women, while classmate Dania Piscetta (Belmont, NH/Belmont) and sophomore Sarah Miller (Madison, NJ/Madison) contributed to three apiece.

Zais swam legs on the 200-yard backstroke, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard freestyle and 400-yard medley relays, while Piscetta had a hand in the 200 back, 200 free and 400 medley. Miller joined the duo in the 200 free while also serving as a member of the 200 breast and 1,500 free teams.

Freshman Caroline Isaacs (San Jose, CA/Archbishop Mitty) was on the second-place 400 medley and 1,500 free relay quartets, while junior Samantha Farrell (Reading, MA/Reading Memorial) and sophomore Taryn Brosnan (Westford, MA/Academy of Notre Dame) took part in the 200 free and breast relays, respectively, while siding with Piscetta and senior Stephanie Conelias (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) on the third-place 200-yard butterfly relay.

Senior Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) and freshman Dana Auger (Milford, MA/Milford) rounded out the 200 back foursome, junior Alisha Wilson (Cumberland, ME/Greely) swam a leg on the 400 medley relay, senior Sarah Houlihan (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield) was one of three on the 1,500 free relay, and freshman Kirstie Parkinson (Singapore, Singapore/Singapore American School) completed the 200 breast quartet.

Sophomore Devon Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) paced the men with a trio of fourth-place marks in the 200 back, 200 fly and 1,500 free relays, and a fifth-place finish in the 400 free relay. Juniors Zach Fichman-Klein (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) and Eddie Gillie (Haverhill, MA/Saint John's Prep) sided with Best on two of the fourth-place squads, including joining sophomore Charles Western (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham) in the 200 fly. Fichman-Klein competed in the 200 back, while Gillie took part in the 1,500 free.

Juniors Sam Dean-Lee (Rocky Hill, CT/Xavier) and Ben Sabol (Saint Petersburg, FL/Shorecrest Prep) swam on the fourth-place 1,500 free and 200 back relay teams, respectively, while joining Best and freshman Sam Neill (Ludlow, MA/Belchertown) on the fifth-place 400 free relay. Junior Corey Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) rounded out the 200 back quartet.

The Lyon women return home on Friday to host the United States Coast Guard Academy at 6:00 p.m., while the men travel to Coast Guard on Saturday for a double-dual meet that includes New York University at 1:00 p.m.

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming & diving teams kicked off their 2009-10 seasons last week, splitting at Roger Williams University on Wednesday before hosting a double-dual meet on Saturday. The Lyon women downed the Hawks, 175.5-121.5, while the men suffered a 192-104 setback. Wheaton's women then downed Brandeis University, 179-107 and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 207-86 in their home opener, while the men suffered a 173-109 loss to the Judges and a 169-118 defeat at the hands of the Engineers.

Against Roger Williams, junior Dania Piscetta (Belmont, NH/Belmont) and sophomore Julia Wright (Pomfret, VT/Northfield Mount Hermon School) each won a pair of events to lead the women to 11 victories. Piscetta won the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley, while Wright captured the one- and three-meter diving events. Senior Sarah Houlihan (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield) was victorious in the 500-yard freestyle, junior Nicole Zais (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) took first in the 200-yard breaststroke, while sophomores Taryn Brosnan (Westford, MA/Academy of Notre Dame) and Sarah Miller (Madison, NJ/Madison) won the 200-yard butterfly and free, respectively. Freshman Caroline Isaacs (San Jose, CA/Archbishop Mitty) captured the 1,000 free, and classmate Kirstie Parkinson (Singapore, Singapore/Singapore American School) took the 50 breast. The 200 free relay team, comprised of juniors Kathleen Dwyer (Barrington, RI/Barrington) and Samantha Farrell (Reading, MA/Reading Memorial) and freshmen Dana Auger (Milford, MA/Milford) and Julia Kusiak Carey (Shawmut, ME/Lawrence), also won.

On the men's side, junior Sam Dean-Lee (Rocky Hill, CT/Xavier) won the 200-yard freestyle, classmate Zach Fichman-Klein (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) was victorious in the 50-yard butterfly, and sophomore Charles Western (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham) took first in the 200 fly.

Versus Brandeis and WPI, Piscetta and Zais helped the Blue and White capture 13 of the meet's 16 events, as Piscetta won the 100- and 200-yard freestyles and the 200-yard individual medley, while Zais took first in the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes. Piscetta and Zais joined Brosnan and senior Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) to capture the 200-yard medley relay victory. Zais sided with Farrell, Miller and senior Aurelie Marcotte (Hampden, MA/Minnechaug Regional) on the winning 400 free relay. Brosnan won the 100-yard butterfly to round out a pair of victories, Houlihan won the 500 and 1,000 frees, and Wright bested the one- and three-meter dive fields. Auger won the 50 free.

For the men, junior Jonathan Gold (West Harrison, NY/Fordham Prep) won the one- and three-meter dives. Classmate Corey Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) was the runner up during the 200-yard breaststroke, and sophomore Devon Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) took second in the 200-yard backstroke. The Lyons' 200-yard medley relay quartet notched a runner-up showing, as Dean-Lee, Fichman-Klein, junior Ben Sabol (Saint Petersburg, FL/Shorecrest Prep) and freshman Sam Neill (Ludlow, MA/Belchertown) combined on the performance.

Piscetta and Zais helped the Blue and White capture 13 of the meet's 16 events, as Piscetta won the 100- and 200-yard freestyle races and the 200-yard individual medley, while Zais took the top times in the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes.

Piscetta and Zais joined senior Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) and sophomore Taryn Brosnan (Westford, MA/Academy of Notre Dame) to capture the 200-yard medley relay victory. Zais swam leadoff for the 400-yard freestyle relay, siding with senior Aurelie Marcotte (Hampden, MA/Minnechaug Regional) and sophomores Samantha Farrell (Reading, MA/Reading Memorial) and Sarah Miller (Madison, NJ/Madison).

Brosnan won the 100-yard butterfly to round out a pair of victories, senior Sarah Houlihan (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield) topped the competition in both the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyle events, and sophomore Julia Wright (Pomfret, VT/Northfield Mount Hermon School) bested the one- and three-meter dive fields for the second straight meet. Freshman Dana Auger (Milford, MA/Milford) won the 50 free.

For the men, junior Jonathan Gold (West Harrison, NY/Fordham Prep) posted the highest scores during both the one- and three-meter diving events. Junior Corey Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) was the runner up during the 200-yard breaststroke, and sophomore Devon Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) took second in the 200-yard backstroke.

The Lyons' 200-yard medley relay quartet notched a runner-up showing, as juniors Sam Dean-Lee (Rocky Hill, CT/Xavier), Zach Fichman-Klein (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) and Ben Sabol (Saint Petersburg, FL/Shorecrest Prep) and freshman Sam Neill (Ludlow, MA/Belchertown) combined on the performance.

Wheaton's teams are back in action next Saturday for the Charlie Batterman Relays at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at 1:00 p.m.

Junior Dania Piscetta (Belmont, NH/Belmont) and sophomore Julia Wright (Pomfret, VT/Northfield Mount Hermon School) each won a pair of events to lead the Wheaton women to 11 victories. Piscetta topped the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley competitions, while Wright captured the one- and three-meter diving events.

Senior captain Sarah Houlihan (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield) won the 500-yard freestyle, junior Nicole Zais (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) took first in the 200-yard breaststroke, while sophomores Taryn Brosnan (Westford, MA/Academy of Notre Dame) and Sarah Miller (Madison, NJ/Madison) won the 200-yard butterfly and free races, respectively.

In her first college event, freshman Caroline Isaacs (San Jose, CA/Archbishop Mitty) won the 1,000-yard freestyle by more than 16 seconds over the runner up, while classmate Kirstie Parkinson (Singapore, Singapore/Singapore American School) took the 50-yard breaststroke race during the initial individual event of her career.

During the final women's event, the 200-yard freestyle relay team edged out a Hawk quartet by 0.11 seconds. Wheaton's top foursome was comprised of juniors Kathleen Dwyer (Barrington, RI/Barrington) and Samantha Farrell (Reading, MA/Reading Memorial) and freshmen Dana Auger (Milford, MA/Milford) and Julia Kusiak Carey (Shawmut, ME/Lawrence).

On the men's side, junior captain Sam Dean-Lee (Rocky Hill, CT/Xavier) won the 200-yard freestyle, while classmate Eddie Gillie (Haverhill, MA/Saint John's Prep) took second. Lyons again went one-two in the 200-yard butterfly, with sophomore Charles Western (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham) taking first and junior captain Corey Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) second. Junior Zach Fichman-Klein (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) was victorious in the 50 fly.

Best was also the runner up in the 200-yard breaststroke and individual medley races, Gillie took second in the 500-yard freestyle, junior Jonathan Gold (West Harrison, NY/Fordham Prep) was second in the one-meter dive, and sophomore Devon Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) finished as the runner up in the 200-yard backstroke. Dean-Lee, Fichman-Klein, junior captain Ben Sabol (Saint Petersburg, FL/Shorecrest Prep) and freshman Sam Neill (Ludlow, MA/Belchertown) swam for the second-place 200 free relay quartet.

Both Wheaton squads kick off the home portion of their schedules on Saturday by facing Brandeis University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) at 12:00 p.m.

"Every year is different," said Gowdy, who welcomes the largest squads in program history. "Athletes who had a great year still need to come back this year and prove themselves, as those swimmers and divers don't automatically become great again. Occasionally, I find myself taking a step back and thinking if things come together we could be in a good place at the end of the year."

Wheaton's 28-member women's squad returns to the pool following a year in which the Lyons sent a program-high four athletes to the NCAA Championship, where their relay team earned the team's first All-America accolades, while matching their best finish of third at the 10-school New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship. Wheaton went 9-6-1 on the year.

Eighteen athletes on the men's side, including 15 returners, look to better their fifth-place finish at the conference meet, as the Lyons were a mere five points shy of fourth place during the seven-team championship. In dual meets, Wheaton went 4-12 against tough regional competition.

Gowdy, who is joined on the coaching staff by fourth-year diving coach Katy Shoemaker, third-year swimming assistant Mary Ellen McLaughlin, second-year assistant Jim Martin and first-year assistant Zach Hicks '07, believes each of his teams have the potential to surpass last year's success but also recognizes there is more to the experience than getting his athletes to improve.

"With our sport being training-based and knowing the challenges," said the 2009 women's swimming conference coach of the year, "one of the things I work hard at is finding a healthy balance with the teams. If we're to be successful, as much as I want to drive, drive, drive, sometimes I need to pull back a little bit and take some time here or there and do some different activities that the athletes appreciate and keep them mentally in a good place."

Gowdy's work appears to be paying off, as the women welcome back all 19 possible returners from a year ago while the men bring back all but two. Depth won't come into play much for dual meets, but because of the way the conference meet is set up, where there are no limits on squad size or number of scorers, taking a large amount of athletes to the league championships will provide more scoring chances.

"Having a number of athletes at the top of a conference is important, which we've been fortunate to have over the years," said Gowdy, "but the way you win a conference meet is not by just having four or five really fast swimmers, but by having an additional group of swimmers and divers that can score critical points. If you're able to accomplish that, then you should be in good shape. Certainly from that standpoint, we're better off than we've ever been."

Last year, the women came within 19.5 points of second place at the NEWMAC Championship, totaling 640.5 points. The Lyons also turned in their first national placement, finishing in a tie for 48th at the NCAA Championship.

Playing a huge role in Wheaton's national showing were juniors Samantha Farrell (Reading, MA/Reading Memorial), Stephany Perkins (Monmouth, ME/Monmouth Academy), Dania Piscetta (Belmont, NH/Belmont) and Nicole Zais (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional), who earned NCAA All-America honorable mention accolades after taking 14th in the country in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Zais posted a program-record five all-conference marks as a sophomore, Piscetta turned in four, Perkins recorded two, and Farrell had one.

Senior co-captain Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) produced one all-league placement, as did sophomore Taryn Brosnan (Westford, MA/Academy of Notre Dame). Senior Sarah Houlihan (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield) joins Meehan as a co-captain, as the aforementioned seven athletes have their names attached to 18 school records, including 13 individual marks, as the Lyons broke 21 of 25 program standards last year.

In addition to Houlihan and Meehan, the Class of 2010 consists of Stephanie Conelias (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire), Aurelie Marcotte (Hampden, MA/Minnechaug Regional), diver Maggie Samen (Lexington, MA/Lexington) and Chelsea Stephenson (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth).

Wheaton's eight-member junior class is rounded out by diver Emma Chaiken (Bangor, ME/Bangor), Kathleen Dwyer (Barrington, RI/Barrington), Sara Hollar (La Crescenta, CA/Flintridge Prep) and Alisha Wilson (Cumberland, ME/Greely).

Divers Catherine Army (Pomfret, CT/Pomfret), Alexandra Wilson (Suffield, CT/Suffield) and Julia Wright (Pomfret, VT/Northfield Mount Hermon School) join Brosnan and Sarah Miller (Madison, NJ/Madison) in the sophomore class.

The Blue and White's first-year class is comprised of Dana Auger (Milford, MA/Milford), Katie Bordeau (Sanford, ME/Sanford), Kristin Duquette (East Hartford, CT/East Catholic), Vanessa Fuchs (Paris, France/International School of Paris), Caroline Isaacs (San Jose, CA/Archbishop Mitty), Julia Kusiak Carey (Shawmut, ME/Lawrence), Kirstie Parkinson (Singapore, Singapore/Singapore American School), Tarryn Rourk (Trenton, ME/Mount Desert Island) and Elle Van Cott (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central).

John Ahern (Boxboro, MA/Acton-Boxboro Regional) is the lone senior on the men's squad, while tri-captains Corey Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood), Sam Dean-Lee (Rocky Hill, CT/Xavier) and Ben Sabol (Saint Petersburg, FL/Shorecrest Prep) comprise half of the six-member junior class, with Best and Dean-Lee serving as captains for the second year. Dean-Lee is the Wheaton record holder in three freestyle events in addition to swimming a leg on the school's top 800-yard freestyle relay team, while Best owns marks in the 200-yard butterfly and 200- and 400-yard individual medleys.

Rounding out the junior class are Zach Fichman-Klein (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro), Eddie Gillie (Haverhill, MA/Saint John's Prep) and diver Jonathan Gold (West Harrison, NY/Fordham Prep). Fichman-Klein owns the school's top time in the 100 butterfly, while Gillie joined Dean-Lee on the record 800 free relay team.

Wheaton's largest class is drawn from its group of sophomores, comprised of returners Devon Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood), Dylan Caldwell (Chapel Hill, NC/Emerson Waldorf School), twins Spencer Deans (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) and Trevor Deans (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow), Alex Hosey (Danville, PA/Wyoming Seminary), Andrew Oliveri (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury), Charles Western (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham) and Christian Woods (Claremont, CA/Webb School of California). Devon Best, Corey's younger brother, holds the program mark in the 200-yard backstroke and swam a leg on the record-breaking 800 free relay.

Sophomore Guive Rosen (Cambridge, MA/Cambridge Rindge & Latin School) preps for his initial college season, and the Lyons also welcome freshmen Griffin Hanley (Andover, MA/North Andover) and Sam Neill (Ludlow, MA/Belchertown).

Both squads begin the season today at Roger Williams University before hosting Brandeis University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on Saturday. In addition to a heavy dual slate, the Lyons will compete at the Charlie Batterman Relays on November 7, the two-day Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Invitational in early December and the Wheaton Invitational in February.

The women travel to Wellesley College for the three-day NEWMAC Championship, beginning on February 19, before Wheaton hosts the men's meet for the second straight season and the fourth time in the last five years the following weekend. The four-day NCAA Championship returns to the University of Minnesota from March 17-20.

"A successful season will be the men and women getting a ton of personal bests," said Gowdy. "If we're getting personal bests we're going to be scoring a lot of points at the conference meets, and if we're scoring a lot of points we're going to give ourselves a great shot to move up on the men's side and contend for a title on the women's side. Last year, our athletes recorded personal bests in more than 90 percent of the events during the NEWMAC meets. If we're up near there again with either team we're going to be in great shape."