BUFFALO, N.Y. – Juniors Ben Strickland (Stanfordville/HomeSchool) and Dan Maximowicz (Binghamton/Chenango Forks) each won individual events and were part of school-record setting second-place relay team during the first full day of action at the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men's Swimming and Diving Championships.

Cortland narrowly trails Geneseo in the team standings with two days remaining. Geneseo has 214 points, followed by Cortland with 210. Fredonia (134), Oneonta (115), New Paltz (115) and Oswego (110) and bunched together in the next four slots. The championship is being held at the Burt Flickinger Center at Erie Community College.

Strickland won the 200-yard individual medley in 1:55.23 and Maximowicz was the 50-yard freestyle winner in 21.21 seconds. The 400-yard medley relay team of Strickland, senior Danny Salvatore (Clarence), senior Dylan Scheemaker (Fairport) and Maximowicz broke the school record in preliminaries with a time of 3:29.55, then set the record again in the finals with its second-place time of 3:28.57. The previous school record was 3:29.64 by Matt Young, Brett Poffenbarger, Drew Hilker and Dan Evans in 2009.

Maximowicz and Strickland were also the first two swimmers on Cortland's 200-yard freestyle relay team that finished second in 1:24.33. Senior Judd Simon (Oneida) and sophomore Luke Strothenke (New Paltz) swam the final two legs.

Junior Justin Nelson (Jamestown/Frewsburg) finished third in the 500-yard freestyle in 4:47.25 and senior Travis Burke (Massapequa) placed third in one-meter diving with 467.50 points. Burke registered an NCAA qualifying one-meter diving score for the second straight week and will possibly receive an NCAA championship invitation after video of his dives are reviewed by the NCAA selection committee.

Sophomore Matt Distler (Glens Falls) finished fourth in the 500-yard freestyle (4:50.04, 4:48.99 in prelims) and Simon placed fifth in the 200-yard individual medley (1:57.42). Salvatore earned a seventh-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley (1:57.72) as three Red Dragons qualified for the eight-swimmer “A” final in the event.

Five other Red Dragons scored points during the opening day. Strothenke finished 10th in the 50-yard freestyle (21.97), junior Matt Blaszak (West Seneca/West Seneca East) was 11th in the 500-yard freestyle (4:53.07) and senior Mike Sorrentino (Glens Falls) finished 13th in the 200-yard individual medley (2:02.65). Scheemaker turned in 14th-place time of 22.32 seconds (22.12 in prelims) in the 50-yard freestyle and sophomore Kyle McManus (Oakdale/Connetquot) finished 14th in one-meter diving (265.95 points, 296.85 points in prelims).


Results Page


STANDINGS AFTER DAY 1

1) Geneseo – 214
2) Cortland – 210
3) Fredonia – 134
4) Oneonta – 115
5) New Paltz – 112
6) Oswego – 110
7) Buffalo St. – 85
8) Brockport – 72
9) Potsdam – 70