Tri-Meet Results
BALTIMORE, Md. – Mid-season transfer Ben Kuntz won two events, qualifying for nationals in both and setting the school record in one, as West Chester’s men’s swimming team split a tri-meet with Johns Hopkins and The College of New Jersey on the campus of Johns Hopkins University Saturday afternoon.
West Chester (4-1) defeated TCNJ by a score of 225-105, but fell to Hopkins, 182-146.
Kuntz, a foreign transfer from Germany, qualified for nationals in both the 100-yard butterfly and the 200 fly while winning each event. He also set the school record in the 200 fly in the process. Kuntz touched the wall in the 100 fly in 50.23 seconds and the 200 fly in 1:49.57.
Senior Chris Salomone was also a double winner for the Golden Rams, taking first place in both the 500 freestyle (4:43.37) and the 1650 free (16:30.18). West Chester’s men’s squad won six of the events in the tri-meet. However, it was not enough to get past a determined Hopkins club.
“What should have been a competitive meet with Hopkins turned into a sluggish effort for us,” head coach Jamie Rudisill said. “(Hopkins) was swimming well; we weren’t.”
Matt Golebiewski also took top honors in the 200 free (1:43.84) while the Rams’ 400 free relay was the only relay squad to top the field (3:11.69). West Chester swept the top three spots in the 200 free with Salomone and Brendan Fanslau finishing right behind teammate Golebiewski.
Rod King and Max Bernardes finished right behind Salomone in the 500 free, respectively, giving the Golden Rams a sweep of the top three spots in that event as well.
In addition to Kuntz’s two national-qualifying wins, he also placed second in the 1650 free with a time of 16:41.85
In the diving competition, which was held Friday night at The College of New Jersey, Zack Saeger placed second off both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards. Saeger scored a 219.1 in the 1m competition and a 245.8 in the 3m event.
Dan Anderson finished third in each competition, right behind Saeger.
West Chester is off until Jan. 25 when the Golden Rams travel to Penn State for a non-league meet against the Nittany Lions.
