BUFFALO The Niagara men’s and women’s swimming & diving programs broke five program records and picked up three top-three finishes, including a win in the men’s 800 free relay during day one of competition at the MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships in downtown Buffalo.
The Purple Eagle quartet of Reid Tichy, Jake Ruffolo, Riley Dafoe, and Nathan Dragon ended day one with a come-from-behind win in the 800 free, posting a program record time of 6:36.09. Niagara trailed heading into the final leg of the event when Dragon posted a time of 1:37.68 to help NU record its first win of the week.
The men’s 200 medley relay of Dafoe, Tanner Isaacs, Gio Germano, and Levi Morgan posted a program best time of 1:29.19 to take third in the event. Dafoe broke the 50 back program record with a time of 22.76.
John Furner finished sixth in the men’s 1-meter dive with a score of 227.80.
On the women’s side the Purple Eagles finished second in the 200 medley relay. Megan Smith, Amanda Silva, Zoe Gavin, and Paige South finished with a time of 1:43.67. Smith got NU started with a tremendous effort in the 50 back, setting a new program benchmark in with a time of 26.38.
Niagara sits ninth in the women’s standings after day one with 34 points, while the men are in third with 91 points.
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