In their last two meets of the season, the men's and women's swimming teams swept their opponents, defeating Clark University at home Wednesday and Worcester Polytechnic Institute on the road Saturday. The wins marked the first time all season that the Judges posted two straight sweeps."We needed [to have both teams win]," coach James Zotz said.

Saturday's 156-124 victory at WPI brought the men, who finished with a record of 6-4, over the .500 mark in dual meet competition. The women finished their meets with a 3-7 record.

Hal Grossman '07 set the pace for the squad in his last collegiate meet by winning the 1,000-yard freestyle, an event in which he holds a Brandeis record, with a time of 10 minutes, 30.82 seconds. Bobby Morse '09 came in second with a time of 10:32.94, just over two seconds behind Grossman. Both pulled away from WPI sophomore Dan White, who had taken an early lead in the race.

"[Morse] and [Grossman] came around and tactically eliminated [White]," Zotz said.

"They were neck-and-neck the whole way off. [Grossman] was biding his time, and he took off at the 800-meter mark and left them both in the dust."

Grossman also placed second in the 500-yard freestyle and 200-yard butterfly races and was part of the first-place 400-yard freestyle relay team.

Captain Matt Lerman '07, also competing in his final collegiate meet, won the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke races with times of 1:07.00 and 2:23.26. Captain Todd Berman '07 also won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.08 seconds.

Rookie James Liu '10 supplemented the success of the Judges' more experienced swimmers with victories in the 100-yard butterfly as well as the 100 -and 200-yard freestyle races.

The women received substantial contributions from their rookies and ended up winning back to back-to-back meets for the first time all season.

Donna Kremer '10, who was competing for the first time since incurring bicep tendonitis in her left arm Jan. 11, led the way for the Judges. Kremer won the 100- and 200-yard backstroke races in 1:08.36 and 2:30.10 as well as the 50-yard freestyle as an extra swimmer in 26.69 seconds.

Captain Alison Smizer '07, competing in her final dual swim meet, finished right behind Kremer in the 50-yard freestyle.

"[The 50-yard freestyle] is one of my favorite events," Smizer said. "I've been swimming the 50-free since I was seven years old. It was emotional."

Rookies Siobhan Lyons '10, Dasha Hentoff '10, Hollis Viray '10 and Rachel Sawicki '10 all chipped in as well, taking first in the 200- and 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke events.

In diving, Charlotte Rea '08 continued her dominance by triumphing in the one and three-meter events with scores of 243.15 and 259.65, which once again qualified her for the NCAA Division III championships.

Halfway through Wednesday's home finale, the Judges held a short ceremony to recognize the contributions of their seniors.

"[Senior night] didn't feel real because I had sat there three times before watching the seniors go up and receive flowers," Smizer said.

"Now, I was that senior and all the other girls on the team were watching me."

"It was a really special night," echoed Berman. "It's a bittersweet moment."

Zotz said this very talented senior class will not be easy to replace.

"If we don't get incoming freshmen next year who are as good or better collectively, we're obviously not going to be any better," he said. "If we're going to maintain success, it's going to be through recruiting."

The Judges next swim when they head out to Cleveland Feb. 7-10 for the University Athletic Association Championships.