Amherst started strong, taking first and second place in the 200-yard medley relay. The Jeffs concluded the meet with equally impressive second- and third-place finishes in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
In addition to their success in the relays, the team enjoyed excellent individual performances, filling the top-three places in the 100-yard butterfly and the top four in the 100-yard breaststroke. Co-captain Mike Pohorylo '04 took first in the 100 breastroke and second in the 400-yard individual medley. Fellow senior Steve Shapiro took first in the 1000-yard freestyle, while Chuck Clinton '05 placed second in the 100-yard free and Nick Federico '05 took second in the 100 butterfly.
A tremendous performance by the sophomore and first-year classes helped to ensure Amherst's win over Union. Rick Estacio '06 finished first in the 100-yard backstroke, while classmate Adam Lewkowitz took first in the 500-yard freestyle. Bryan Woo '06 placed first in both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100 butterfly. Ethan Treat '07 began his career with a win in the 400 individual medley.
Another impressive debut swim came from John Ancona '07, who finished second in the 100 breaststroke. Stepping up in the diving events was Chris Hunter '05 who placed second in both the 1- and 3-meter competitions.
"We all had some very stiff competition at Union, and everyone stepped it up to ensure our first meet of the season would be a win," said Shapiro.
Two days later Amherst traveled to Wesleyan University for its first NESCAC meet of the season. The Jeffs came up with an even bigger victory, winning by 80 points. Again, the Jeffs were fast from start to finish, with first-place finishes in the 200 medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay and many of the same swimmers leading the way.
Pohorylo and Shapiro again performed in the water. Pohorylo came in first in the 200-yard breaststroke and freestyle events, while Shapiro took second in the 1000 and 500 freestyle races. Clinton finished first in the 100 freestyle and second in the 50 freestyle. Savage and Lewkowitz took third in the 200 freestyle and first in the 200-yard butterfly, respectively. Estacio coasted through the 200-yard backstroke, beating his nearest competitor by a margin of eight seconds, while Woo finished first in the 50 freestyle.
Treat again led the class of 2007 with an impressive first-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley, with classmate James Stanton less than five seconds behind in second. Ancona, behind Pohorylo once again, took second in the 200-yard breaststroke, with Treat and Stanton in third and fourth for a Jeff sweep. Hunter again contributed with two second-place finishes in the 1- and 3-meter diving events.
After two landslide wins, the Jeffs look forward to their first home meet this Saturday against the Middlebury Panthers. "We expected Union to be a close meet," said Estacio, "but after winning by 60 points, we're optimistic about our chances this weekend."