The men's and women's swimming teams claimed many individual victories Saturday against the University of Rochester, but were unable to pull out the closest races of the day on the way to being swept at home. The men's team fell 3-2 with a 169-125 loss, while the women's team dropped to 1-4 with a 175-125 defeat."There were a lot of people who swam the best of their season," coach James Zotz said. "But unfortunately, we didn't win the close events. We were consistently inconsistent."

After falling behind in diving, the men's team staged a comeback in the swimming portion of the meet, going ahead 13-4 after winning the 200-yard medley relay. But the Judges failed to sustain the lead, particularly when the races counted the most.

Still, many swimmers achieved personal highlights. Captain Matt Lerman '07 led the way, winning both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events with times of 1:03.31 and 2:21.80, respectively.

Captain Todd Berman '07 complemented Lerman's victories, winning the 50-yard freestyle in 23.20 seconds and placing second in the 100-yard fly, behind only teammate James Liu '10, who finished in 55.28 seconds. Jon Eskow '08 completed a Brandeis sweep in the race with a third-place finish.

"I was really surprised we went 1-2-3 in the event," Liu said. "It was pretty exciting."

Cesar Olivier '08 also had a solid day, placing second to Lerman in both the 100- and 200-yard races with times of 1:05.58 and 2:27.94, respectively, both personal bests. He also turned in his best time in the 200-yard medley relay.

"This was a break-out meet for [Olivier]," Zotz said.

The women's team jumped out to an early lead behind the diving of Charlotte Rea '08, who claimed victories in the one- and three-meter dives with scores of 164.15 and 233.70, respectively. Rea is undefeated in diving this season.

But like its male counterparts, the women's team couldn't maintain the lead, falling behind 28-8.

The Judges' rookies continued their solid seasons, with Rachel Sawicki '10 and Hollis Viray '10 combining for a total of 28.5 points in individual events.

"The [first-years] not only are really fast, but they also bring a really good attitude to the team," Silver Jade Deutch '07 said.

Deutch also had a breakout meet, taking third in both the 500- and 1650-yard freestyle events with times of 5:41.01 and 19:28.80, respectively.

"I haven't had the greatest past couple of meets, but everything just felt really good [Saturday]," said Deutch.

Despite the loss, Zotz said both teams have incredible potential, especially considering their youth.

This team is so far ahead," Zotz said. "We've been able to push the envelope in training and we've really set the table very well for ourselves."

After a week off, the Judges will swim at the Wesleyan University Invitational December 2 and 3.