RESULTS

FAIRFIELD, CT - In their first visit to Fairfield University in three years, the Iona College men's and women's swimming and diving teams overcame deficits to post a pair of victories at Alumni Hall.

The Iona women rolled to their fifth victory of the season, 155-133. The men's squad earned their seventh win of the season 208-72.  With a 7-2-1 mark thus far, the program is having its best regular season in over a decade.

In their come-from-behind effort, the women's Maroon & Gold team swept the final four races and posted four school records in the RecPlex 25-meter course. The men captured all 14-swimming events including posting 12 school meter records.

The 15 school marks in one meet is a single-meet high for the Gaels, which does not even include the two that freshman distance ace, Matthew Anderson set in one race – the 800-Free.

In the race Anderson broke the 400-Free mark with a 4:12.37 split and finished at 8:27.46, 20 seconds under teammate senior Collin Purrman's 2015 mark of 8:47.31. 

The women's records came in the 200-Meter freestyle where junior Elizabeth Kaczmarek went head-to-head with Fairfield sophomore standout Kelly Cordes, only to finish .12 behind at 2:10.63, which broke the 2010 mark set by Mackenzie Mone at 2:11.14.

New Jersey native sophomore Jessica Schmidt, posted her first career individual record, breaking the 2014 backstrokes record held by Maria Skeivys; Schmidt touched the wall at 2:26.77.

Needing to score in the meet's final event, the 400-Free Relay, the quartet of Schmidt, freshman Alyssa Chain, junior Alex Aliapoulios and senior Kathryn Nevin won by 3.5 seconds with a new school mark at 4:05.81, two second under the old standard set in 2010.

In addition to his two record in one race, Anderson returned to win the 400-Free with a faster time of 4:08.46. Head Coach Nick Cavataro commented, "Matthew is really swimming well and with a lot of confidence, he is positioning himself for a strong championship in three weeks!"

Not to be out done, Purrman grabbed a trio of school records, first taking the 200-Butterfly at 2:08.67, under the 2012 mark of Nick Kotonias.  Purrman grabbed the 100-Butterfly at 58.62, under the 1:00.10 clocking by classmate Keegan Boisson-Yates set in 2014; and it was all capped off in a remarkable last event effort in the 200-Individual Medley where his 2:11.07 time lowered the 2012 mark of 2:12.87 set by Chris Yacobacci.

Junior Co-Captain Christian Foti took both the 200-Free at 1:56.46, and 100-Free in 53.33.  He lowered his own mark of 1:58.47 in the 200-Free set in 2015 at Providence, and in the 100-Free he surpassed the mark set by senior Matthew Rothman.

Sophomore Matthew Bosse continues his fast backstroke swimming, taking the 100-Back at 59.68 and lowered his own mark in the 200-Back to 2:10.22, from 2:13.68.

The men's final record came from Junior sprinter Zack Holbrook who posted a time of 24.11, under the 24.50 mark set by Tyler Elfert in 2014.

The men's 200-Medley Relay quartet of Bosse, junior Christopher Vadala, Boisson-Yates and Holbrook posted a time of 1:49.10, two second under the old mark set in 2010.

The team of Boisson-Yates, Rothman, Holbrook and Foti went seven seconds under the 2012 record at 3:33.73.

"I think we are progressing well," commented Cavataro. "we are seeing our kids beginning to swim with more and confidence, which is very critical going into these last few weeks before MAAC Championships!"

The Gaels next face Fordham on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at Hynes Pool at 5 PM.