Men’s swim and dive opened their season with victories against Springfield College and NESCAC rival Wesleyan on Saturday. The Ephs dominated against both opponents, defeating Wesleyan 211-71 and Springfield 202-92, for a near-clean sweep to start the 22-time NESCAC champions’ season. 

After claiming their sixth consecutive NESCAC title last season, the Ephs are starting the year in good spirits, looking to bring the same ferocity to this season. “Even though last year was great, we want to build on it and perform better this year,” diver Calder Biondi ’28 said. 

Co-captain Gabe Lee ’26 echoed Biondi. “After this weekend, it shows that everyone is putting a lot of effort into their training, and I think it’s going to be a big year,” he said. The Ephs dominated at NESCACs last year, and their desire to win again is clear. 

Stepping into their new positions as co-captains, Lee and Harrison Williams ’26 said they are eager to lead their team to new heights while emphasizing the group effort it takes to do so. “It’s been awesome to see our entire class step up,” Williams said. “It’s great to have a group of six, now seven seniors step up and set the lead.”

Biondi voiced the Ephs’ tremendous support for Lee and Williams, citing the pair’s focus on unity among the team’s swimmers and divers. “It’s often easy for swim captains to leave the divers behind, but the captains this year have done a great job making sure that the concerns divers have do not fall on deaf ears,” he said.

The meet day began and ended with relays, starting off with the 200 medley and finishing with the 400 freestyle. In the 200 medley, the top three spots were dominated by the Ephs’ relay teams, with the B team — comprising Ryan Nunez ’27, Ian Fournier ’28, Williams, and Mason Green ’27 — finishing first. The day concluded with the 400 freestyle relay, in which the Williams B team — including Alex Gertner ’29, Green, Williams, and Nunez — also finished first. 

In the freestyle events, Ephs secured victories in all five races, a demonstration of the team’s impressive depth. Each freestyle event was won by a different Eph, including multiple podium sweeps along the way. Vincent Kim ’29 took first place in the 1000 freestyle before coming in second in the 500, 2.65 seconds behind Nunez. The Ephs dominated in the 200 freestyle, claiming the top four positions, with Aneirin Hanan ’28 in first. Lee and Theo Randall ’27 won the final freestyle events, the 100 and 50 sprints, respectively. The 50 freestyle was a close race, with Randall triumphing by a margin of 0.09 seconds.

The Ephs also took first in all backstroke and butterfly events. In the 200 breaststroke, Hugh Henry ’29 finished first. Whitman Horton ’28, who won the 200 backstroke and finished just behind Lee in the 100 backstroke, described the excitement of watching the first-years represent their team for the first time. “They’ve brought a lot of energy, a lot of excitement this past weekend,” Horton said. “[It] was really cool to see them race for the first time. That’s what I was looking forward to most about the season, was getting to watch the first-years do their thing.” 

Lee’s victory in the 100 backstroke was made even sweeter with his teammate close behind. “Winning the hundred back was nice yesterday, but it was especially nice seeing Whitman come in right behind me,” Lee said. “Just being able to see at the meet, with real results, [Ephs] going one and two, gave me a positive outlook on the season and a lot more faith in our backstroke group.” 

 Saturday also marked the first meet for the Ephs’ new dive coach, Trent Makowiec. Biondi, who took first in the one-meter dive and second in the three-meter, noted that the individualized attention Makowiec gives each diver has played an important role in the team’s success. “He’s there for us in every way necessary for a successful coach,” Biondi said. 

The Ephs look to carry Saturday’s momentum into the rest of the season. Next week, they’ll host another home meet against Worcester Polytechnic Institute and NESCAC rivals Trinity and No. 16 Tufts. “Even though yesterday was great, we plan on changing the record boards this year and not settling for anything less,” Biondi said. “This is our start, and we only get better from here.”