CORTLAND, N.Y. – Cortland's men's and women's swimming and diving teams each finished first out of three teams at the season-opening Cortland Pumpkin Relays at Holsten Pool.
 
Cortland's men finished with 310 points, followed by New Paltz with 287 and Wells with 28. On the women's side, Cortland scored 315 points, New Paltz had 282 and Wells finished with 56.
 
Cortland hosted a season-opening relay meet for the fourth straight season (2017-29, 2021). The event features an unorthodox format with many relays that are normally not held, including a number of three-swimmer events.
 
The Red Dragon men finished first in all nine swimming relays at the meet. Mason Arnberg (Dix Hills/Half Hollow Hills East) and Sam Zani (Irondequoit) were each part of four victories, while Alex Hilldale (Binghamton/Chenango Valley), Jack-Henry Whalen (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown), Aiden Poli (Cortland/Home schooled) and Josh Chamak (New City/Clarkstown North) each swam on three winning relays. Four other Red Dragons – Ethan Domanico (New Windsor/Newburgh Free Academy), Nick Dambra (Brockport), Sean Zupko (Montgomery/Valley Central) and Mason Rowlands (Campbell Hall/Washingtonville) – picked up two victories each.
 
Hilldale, Arnberg, Whalen and Zani combined to win both the 400-yard medley relay (3:38.24) and the 200-yard medley relay (1:39.78). Poli, Chamak, Domanico and Rowlands won the 650-yard freestyle relay (5:58.84), Poli, Zani, Dambra and Hilldale captured the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:30.60), and Zupko, Poli and Chamak won the 300-yard backstroke relay (2:49.99).
 
Dambra, Arnberg and Chamak took top honors in the 300-yard medley relay (2:56.18) and Zupko, Rowlands, Patrick Kivlehan (Highland Mills/Monroe-Woodbury) and Domanico won the 800-yard freestyle relay (7:41.08). The trio of Hunter Sugrue-Neuendorf (Valley Cottage/Nyack), Ryan Lerner (Washingtonville) and Arnberg won the 300-yard breaststroke relay (3:12.70) and Danny Swift (Millerton/Webutuck), Zani and Whalen won the 300-yard butterfly relay (2:46.10).
 
Cortland's women finished first in six relays during the afternoon. Madi Monaghan (Chili/Gates-Chili) was on all six of those winning units, while Marissa Kordal (Eden), Julia Torell (Camillus/CBA) and Mackenzie Dickman (Montgomery/Valley Central) earned three victories each. Kailyn Anselment (Queensbury/Glens Falls) and Iris Incitti (Endwell/Maine-Endwell) each chalked up two wins.
 
Monaghan, Incitti, Kordal and Anselment won the 650-yard freestyle relay (6:46.33) and Anselment, Dickman, Kordal and Monaghan won the 800-yard freestyle relay (8:31.09). Dickman, Incitti and Monaghan earned top honors in the 300-yard medley relay (3:24.05) and Monaghan, Dickman, Torell and Kordal won the 200-yard medley relay (1:59.56).
 
The quartet of Emily Lantry (Massena/St. Lawrence), Torell and Monaghan were victorious in the 300-yard backstroke relay (3:11.39). Kaila O'Hara (East Islip), Caitlin Elsasser (Merrick/Sanford H. Calhoun), Torell and Monaghan placed first in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:48.01).
 
Cortland will return to action next Saturday at 1 p.m. when it travels to Ithaca for men's and women's dual meets.