Men’s Swimming In First After Day Two At NEAC Championships

COBLESKILL, N.Y. – After two days of competition at the 2013 North Eastern Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, the Wells College men's swimming program sits in first place entering Sunday. The Express are seeking their second overall NEAC championship title entering the final day of the three day meet.

Following the first day of action on Friday, the Express and the Wildcats of Cazenovia College were tied at 160 through 12 events. The third place team, the Bison of Gallaudet University, tallied 119 points while the host Fighting Tigers of SUNY Cobleskill ranked fourth, rounding out the field with 107 points to their credit.

In the Men's 50 Yard Freestyle, junior Matthew Sleezer (Gloversville, N.Y.) earned 16 points for his team with a first place finish. His time of 21.94 is an all-time program record, as he eclipsed his own mark of 22.48 set on Nov. 3, 2012. Sophomore Thomas Dougherty (Greenwich, Conn.) took third place in the same event, posting a time of 24.70 to rank him tied for sixth all-time in Wells history.

Captain Thomas Laier (East Nassau, N.Y.) and freshman Matthew VanAmerongen (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) placed third and fourth, respectively, for the Express in the Men's 500 Yard Freestyle. Laier scored 12 points with a time of 5:27.59, ranking him second all-time behind his own first place record of 5:23.57, set on Feb. 17, 2012. VanArmongen's time of 5:34.10 places him third all-time in the freestyle event.

Freshman Patrick Munroe (Williamsville, N.Y.) and classmate Tyler Fischetti (Weedsport, N.Y.) ranked second and third, respectively, in the Men's 200 Yard Individual Medley. Munroe's time of 2:15.86 ranks him third all-time in program history while also setting a personal best in the event. Fischetti's time of 2:27.12 is a personal best and ranks him seventh all-time in Wells history.

Laier, Dougherty, Munroe and Sleezer teamed up to capture second place in the Men's 200 Yard Freestyle Relay, notching a time of 1:35.25. This time places them third all-time in Wells history, trailing the first place time of 1:33.74. The Express continued to rack up the points, earning 26 in the Men's 400 Yard Medley Relay after sophomore Alex Lamphear (Springfield, N.H.), Dougherty, Fischetti and freshman Jacob Cohn (Upland, Calif.) placed second overall with a time of 4:26.96. That time ranks the foursome eighth in program history.

After the second day, the Express held sole possession of first place amongst the four schools with a score of 335. The Wildcats of Cazenovia College placed second with a score of 309 while Gallaudet University and SUNY Cobleskill accumulated 281 and 241 points, respectively.

In the Men's 200 Yard Freestyle, Laier and VanArmongen combined for 25 total points by placing second and third. Laier's time (2:02.23) ranks him fifth all-time while VanArmongen's mark of 2:04.27 ranks him sixth all-time. Sleezer collected 13 points with a time of 1:02.27 in the Men's 100 Yard Backstroke, placing third all-time. His top mark of 1:01.64 set on Feb. 18, 2011 remains the top mark in school history. In the same event, Lamphear set a personal best time of 1:08.82.

Dougherty missed capturing first place in the Men's 100 Yard Breaststroke by only .45, completing his laps with a time of 1:07.71, ranking him third all-time in program history. Cohn's time of 1:13.05 placed him third amongst the competition and sixth in program history.

Munroe and Fischetti dominated the field in the Men's 400 Yard Individual Medley as Munroe's time of 4:46.25 bested Fischetti's second place time of 5:15.15. Additionally, Fischetti placed almost a full minute ahead of the third place finisher. Munroe set a program record with a time of 4:46.25 while Fischetti's time ranks him fifth all-time in program history while also setting a personal best mark in the event. Munroe edged Chris Guard's time of 4:55.68, set on Feb. 18, 2011.

A second place finish in the Men's 800 Yard Freestyle Relay granted them 26 points, as Laier, VanArmongen, Munroe and Sleezer combined for a time of 8:02.17 to rank first all-time in program history. That foursome edged out the squad of Drew Teter, Michael Scharvella '11, Court Carnahan '10 and Jeffrey Dick that was set at the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association Championships in 2010.

A first place finish in the Men's 200 Yard Medley Relay by Munroe, Dougherty, Sleezer and Laier with a time of 1:51.50 rounded out the day's action. This time ranks fifth all-time in Wells history.

The Express wrap up their season Sunday, Feb. 17 as they enter the final day of action on the campus of SUNY Cobleskill with the championship heats for day three commencing at 5:00 p.m. Stay up to date with the latest news directly from the Wells College athletic department by "liking" us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/WellsExpress) and subscribing to our Twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/WellsExpress).