The Brandeis men's and women's swimming and diving teams did not skip a beat in their return to the races in 2013. Following a rigorous training regimen in Puerto Rico, the squads recorded impressive performances in their first meet of the new year at Boston College.

The men, in fact, earned their first victory of the season against Bridgewater State University by a 154-128 margin. The squad also recorded a close 160-110 defeat to Division-1 powerhouse BC while the women also fought admirably in a tight 150-98 loss.

Max Fabian '15 noted that the squad's meet against BC marked yet another successful accomplishment for a quickly emerging program, especially against such a formidable foe.
"I think we did a really good job as a team of rising up against a Division 1 program," he said. "We all enjoyed the experience and the privilege to race an incredible team such as BC."

Fabian recorded yet another strong performance to bolster a memorable first season, securing two individual victories in the meet. He outpaced the competition in the 1,000-yard freestyle meet, securing a comfortable margin of victory in 10 minutes, 9.17 seconds. The sophomore transfer continued to thrive in his element, earning a first-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle meet with a time of 5:07.21.

Brian Luk '16, representing the latter half of a notable freestyle tandem along with Fabian, also picked up two strong results. He secured first place in the 50-yard freestyle meet in 22.72 seconds as well as a second-place result in the 200-yard freestyle meet in 1:53.76. Padraig Murphy '14 also won the 200-yard breaststroke meet with a notable finish in 2:09.46.

The Judges showed their collective strength, though, in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Niko Karkantis '13, Jared Goldman '16, Fabian, and Luk rounded out the successes for the men with a 1:35.58 first-place finish in the race.

The women also notched top performances versus the Eagles, including standout finishes for the younger members of the squad.

Fallon Bushee '16 surged to a first-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle meet, ending in 27.08 seconds. Lauren Cruz '16 also headlined the field in the 500-yard freestyle, earning first place in 5:37.16.

Holly Spicer '13 led the charge for the veterans, sporting a 2:39.80 finish en route to a victory in the 200-yard breaststroke. Theresa Gaffney '16 took care of business in the 200-yard as well, earning second place with a time of 2:56.03.

Eliza Kopelman '15 made a splash in the diving events, recording 185.30 and 171.70 in the one and three-meter respectively.

The notable results at BC last weekend, though, stemmed from an intensive training schedule in a dual trip to Puerto Rico. While it may have been winter vacation, the Judges made the most of their tropical element in preparation for the final stretch of the season.

Fabian echoed this sentiment, noting that the trip was an instrumental factor in the squads' final push toward success.

"The training in Puerto Rico was intended to capitalize everything we have been working on this season, and to get one final push of hard work before the season winds down," he said.

"I think the training will help us get into the championship mindset that is needed at the end of the season and give us a little extra confidence for the final meets."

The squads will surely benefit from this enhanced mindset in their final road meet of the semester this Saturday at Trinity College.

After two additional home meets, against local foes Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Regis College, Brandeis will enter the University Athletic Association championships for the first time since 2009.

While the teams may feel the pressure at such a critical juncture in the season, Fabian is confident that they have the foundational skills needed to make a big statement at this meet.
"The team has done a very good job of supporting one another and working hard this season," he said.

"I think these are both attributes that we can build on and use in the weeks leading up to UAA and at the meet itself to benefit both our individual performances and the performance of the team as a whole."

If anything, Brandeis is preparing to make quite the splash to round out its 2012-13 season.