Men's Swimming and Diving Splits Weekend

The Columbia men's swimming and diving team split its meets this weekend, losing at Cornell on Friday and winning over Rutgers at home on Saturday.

It was clear from Friday's performance that Cornell was not challenged by Columbia. With a score of 191-109, Columbia won only three individual events-the 200-yard fly by sophomore Hyun Lee, one-meter diving by junior Justin Reardon, and the 200 IM by freshman Darren Pagan.

"It was a frustrating loss in the sense that there was nothing we could have done," senior captain Tobin White said. "Even if we were at our best, they were swimming so fast that we couldn't have beaten them. It gives us something to look forward to. Hopefully we will be racing faster than them in a month."?

Although Pagan's win came at the end when the meet was already lost, his contribution as a freshman energized the team.

"Pagan's win was critical," White said. "By that point in the meet we had already lost, but it was nice to win an event, and it was fun that it was from a freshman."

Reardon, who has made substantial contributions all season, has consistently placed in the top three at most competitions, and is the foundation of the Lions' diving team.

"Our divers are pretty critical-they can really set the tone," White said. "Whether Justin gets third or he wins, it affects us. Diving is a strong point for us and has been positive all season. It's this weird break in the meet with the diving, which offers a chance for us swimmers to rest and hope that we will be able to gain some points."

Back home on Saturday, the Lions soundly defeated perennial threat Rutgers, 152-88. "It was the first time in my career that we beat Rutgers, so that was fun," White said.

Rutgers' program was damaged this year by a threat of cancellation, which caused many of its most talented swimmers to transfer to schools with more stable swimming programs. As a result, the Scarlet Knights swam against Columbia with a significantly diminished roster compared to years past. The meet was highlighted by first-place finishes in seven different events for Columbia, including a win in the 100-yard freestyle by White and a win in the 200-yard freestyle by sophomore Hyun Lee.

Columbia returns to action Friday, Feb. 2, at home against Navy, and then travels to Brown on Saturday. Friday's meet will be the last home meet of the season, and Saturday's will be the last for the graduating seniors.