Men’s swimming team dominates against Penn and Yale

The men’s swimming and diving team had a successful weekend, winning its opening dual league meets against Penn and Yale.

The weekend began at home with an impressive 198.5-101.5 victory over Penn. The diving team helped the Lions take an early lead, with sophomore Jason Collazo, senior David Levkoff, and sophomore Michaelangelo Borghi finishing two-three-four in the three-meter diving competition. Levkoff and Collazo also went one-two in the one-meter diving contest.

As the night progressed, the Light Blue did not stop winning. Among Columbia’s many victories, senior Adam Powell won the 50 and 100 free, setting new pool records for both races. Columbia swept the 200 free thanks to an impressive freshman effort in which Eric Traub, Daniel Tan, and Nathan Yueh finished first, second, and third, respectively. The Lions also swept the 100 back, with junior Johnny Bailey earning first place.

Columbia continued to win on Saturday and finished the night with a 177-122 triumph over Yale, its first win in New Haven in over 20 years.

Powell again won the 50 and 100 free in 20.01 and 44.16 seconds, respectively, surpassing his record-setting time of 20.15 in the 50 free from the previous night. Junior Bruno Esquen was a double winner after finishing first in the 100 and 200 fly. The Light Blue had first-place finishes in many events, including the opening and closing races of the night: the 400 relay and the 200 medley. Collazo swept the one- and three-meter diving events, and Levkoff finished second in the one-meter event.

The Lions ended the weekend with a 2-0 overall record. The team will travel to Harvard and Navy next week as it looks for continued success in its dual meet season.