The University of Massachusetts swimming and diving teams opened their weekend campaign at the Colgate Invitational on Friday evening, delivering a flurry of podium finishes and top-tier swims at Hamilton, New York’s Lineberry Natatorium, as UMass Athletics reported.
Opening Distance Grinds at Lineberry Natatorium
Senior Olga Stoura set the tone for the Minutewomen during the individual events, securing a sixth-place finish in the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 18:50.74. Over on the men’s side, sophomore Miles Smyczek captured a bronze medal in the same grueling distance event, clocking a personal-best time of 16:45.06. Senior Jude Boukarroum followed closely behind in fourth with a mark of 16:51.93, while sophomore Sota Kawahata rounded out the top five by touching the wall in 16:58.56.
Medley Dominance and Stroke Success
The Minutemen seized complete control of the podium during the 400 individual medley. Junior Chase Keeler claimed the gold medal with a time of 4:12.56, while sophomore teammate Chase Dai secured second place in 4:19.53. For the women, junior Maria Grishaeva earned a bronze medal in the 400 individual medley behind a time of 4:40.77, and teammate Karinne Everly took fifth in 4:45.46. In the 100 backstroke, sophomore Liam Hickey captured gold for the men with a time of 51.88, accompanied by junior Zach Szabo in fourth at 52.47. Courtney Tedesco paced the women in the same stroke with a fifth-place finish of 1:00.09, closely tracked by freshman Mackenzie Gibbons in sixth at 1:00.55.
Relay Squads Lock Down Podiums
UMass continued to show depth across middle-distance and relay events as the evening progressed. Junior Elizabeth Lahmann swam into fourth in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:58.02, while junior Liam Rayson tied for third in the men’s 200 freestyle at 1:45.35 alongside sixth-place finisher Alonso Montori in 1:46.63. In the 100 breaststroke, senior Lindsay Burbage collected a silver medal for the women in 1:05.72, and sophomore Hudson Bawduniak matched that second-place finish for the men by touching in 56.06. Gibbons added a fourth-place finish in the 200 butterfly at 2:15.66, and Aydin Erkan earned a bronze for the men in the same event at 1:57.84. Tedesco returned to grab silver in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.28, while Macek Vandermolen placed fourth in 21.55 and Wyatt Sumner took sixth in 21.75. To cap off the night, the women’s 400 medley relay team of Grishaeva, Burbage, Tedesco, and Kaitlyn Adams combined for 3:58.84 to take third, while the men’s quartet of Hickey, Nate Derby, Bawduniak, and Vandermolen secured second in 3:25.19.
