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The men's and women's swimming and diving squads could not have envisioned a better end to the 2012-13 campaign, racing out to a season-high 27 individual victories in a non-scoring meet against Regis College on Saturday.
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Yet, the meet on Saturday also marked the end of an era. 
Holly Spicer '13, Antonio Cancio '13, Esther Tandetnik '13, Niko Karkantis '13 and Jared Goldman '13 all competed in 2009-10, a season in which the Judges were forced to compete at other local colleges. 
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At the end of their first year, following the indefinite suspension of the program, these five swimmers suddenly did not have a team to call their own. 
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Fast-forward to April 2011. 
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The University announced that the swimming and diving program would be reinstated for the spring 2012 semester, and following the hiring of coach Michael Kotch in July 2011, the road to recovery was initiated by the athletes. 
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Cancio noted that the seniors worked tirelessly to re-create and revive a once-vibrant program, especially for future Brandeis swimmers and divers.
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"From the moment Coach [Jim] Zotz told us that the team was being suspended at the end of our season in 2010, we've been working hard to bring BUSDT [Brandeis swimming and diving] back," he said. "It was surreal to actually be able to swim again for Brandeis."
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After the development of a talented core of underclassmen and a resounding statement against Regis, the Judges are nearing the end of the road.
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In a ceremony preceding the meet, Kotch noted that the guidance and support of his senior class were instrumental in the swimming and diving squads' success.
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"These individuals really bought into everything that I brought onto the pool deck," he stated. "Overall, these five were just tremendous at helping us get this program restarted and getting us heading in a great direction for the future." 
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The five seniors proceeded to make the most of the occasion, securing individual victories in several events. Tandetnik won the 200-yard freestyle in two minutes, 15.93 seconds, almost 20 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. 
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Cancio was the next to make a statement, earning victories in two key races. He won the 50-yard backstroke and 500-yard freestyle, finishing in 32.20 seconds and six minutes, 20.51 seconds, respectively.
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Spicer then earned two victories, winning not only in her standard breaststroke event, but also in the 100-yard butterfly, finishing in one minute, 11.21 seconds.  
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Goldman won the men's 100-yard fly in 1:00.84 while Karkantis rounded out the seniors' success in the 50-yard freestyle event.
Spicer stated that this meet led to the conclusion of a storied career for these five seniors, especially following an opportunity to instruct and guide future Brandeis swimmers and divers.
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"It has been great to share all of my experiences from my freshman year with my team and carry on the traditions of Brandeis swimming and diving," she said. 
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Cancio further noted that the Regis meet marked the culmination of a rewarding and memorable rebounding season. 
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"This year I was able to share with BUSDT 2.0 the history and traditions that make the team great," he said. "The season has been long and both mentally and physically exhausting, but I wouldn't have wanted it to unfold any other way."
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The next generation of Judges also made its mark, featuring two triple-winners and five other individual first-place finishes. 
Padraig Murphy '14 not only won the 200-yard backstroke in 2:09.15, but then raced to another victory in the 50-yard butterfly in 25.43 seconds. He ended the day's action with another formidable victory in the 100-yard individual medley, finishing in 58.95 seconds. 
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Lauren Cruz '16 ended her rookie campaign at the pool in Linsey Sports Center on a high note, securing yet another three victories for the Judges. After finishing in 1:06.63 and 2:21.48, respectively, in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstrokes, Cruz also won in the arduous 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:47.04. 
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Eliza Kopelman '15 continued to shine as the Judges' foremost diver, winning the diving portion of the meet with a total score of 322.50. 
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The seniors will race their last laps for the Judges on Feb. 13 at the University Athletic Association Championships hosted by the University of Chicago.
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Max Fabian '15 noted that the squads will look to channel their team chemistry and persistence into a successful showing at UAA's.
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"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 UAAs and at the meet itself to benefit both our individual performances and the performance of the team as a whole.
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Cancio reflected that even after the seniors graduate, the Judges will have the numbers and strength to win in dual meets for years to come.
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"Either way, I think the seniors and the coaches have definitely built a great foundation this year for many years to come," he said. "As our current freshmen get even stronger and more experienced, and we get a couple of strong recruiting classes, winning dual meets will not be a problem."
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The Judges are already well on their way.