The Massachusetts men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams swept Stony Brook at Joseph Rogers Pool on Saturday afternoon. The men’s team came off of a disappointing loss at Army last weekend and countered with a dominating 184-105 victory this weekend, breaking two pool records. The women’s squad, meanwhile, came through for their second-straight win, finishing 181-117.
The win was a welcoming sign for the Minutemen, who lost in tough fashion last week on the road despite being projected as the top team in the Atlantic 10.
UMass men’s coach Russ Yarworth, however, was not worried at all and envisions a successful year for his Minutemen.
“Last week against Army … we ran into a team that was well-prepared,” said Yarworth to UMassAthletics.com. “It’s a tough thing to go three-and-a-half hours on the bus to play a team that’s prepared for you.”
“We are just going to stick to the season plan,” Yarworth added.
In the past, both UMass teams have had overwhelming success against the Seawolves. The men’s and women’s teams are now a combined 15-0 against Stony Brook, with the Minutewomen tallying eight of those wins and the men winning seven.
Last year against the Seawolves, the Minutemen dominated by the score of 184-114. The women’s meet was more competitive as UMass won 159-141.
The freshmen for both teams have shown promise. Two of the stars on the men’s side have been Hao Luong of Malden and Michael Glenn from Overland Park, Kan.
In the first week of the season, Luong was named the A-10 Rookie of the Week and hasn’t lost the individual backstroke event this season.
Glenn won the same award this past week as the Kansas native owns the best time for the 200-yard backstroke in the conference (2:10.59).
These contributions have made the Minutemen the top projected team in the A-10 in a vote run by the head coaches in the conference. A championship this year would give the Minutemen their sixth-straight A-10 title.
On the women’s side, a bright future also seems on the horizon. Freshman Katie Arnott of Suffern, N.Y. and Zoe Judd from Acton, have been constant contributors in the UMass’ successful start.
Arnott, sibling of senior swimmer Sarah Arnott, has won four of her own individual events in the 200-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley. Judd, meanwhile, owns a conference-best 52.89 time in the 100-yard freestyle so far.
After suffering a rough 177-122 lost to Boston University in the season opener, the women have fought back to a 2-1 record with their latest victories.
UMass looks to continue its success this weekend in a two-day meet, starting Friday night against Binghamton at Joseph Rogers Pool.
Christopher Corso can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Corso.
