Men’s Swimming & Diving Jumps Back Into the Pool Saturday at Wheaton
WALTHAM, Mass. - The Bentley men's swimming and diving team jumps back into the pool to start the 2023-24 season on Saturday when they make the trip over to Wheaton for the first of 11 dual meets on the season.
Head coach Mary Kay Samko, now in her 28th season leading both the men's and women's programs at Bentley, named seniors Jake Eastman and Andrew Marcus as captains of the men's team.
"Jake competes in backstroke and IM events but can be the go to guy wherever the team needs him," Samko said. "He exhibits leadership in practices and meets will be a key to our team dynamic."
"Andrew is a sprint specialist and is never one to back down or give in in practice," she continued. He has gained the respect of his teammates with his relentless determination and work ethic.
Eastman and Marcus are joined by 17 returnees from last season's squad that finished second at the NE10 Championships last February. The Falcons have had a tremendous run of success with a 59-1 record in dual meets since January 2016. They went 10-0 in dual meets last season and have won 20 straight duals overall.
Marcus helps lead the group of distance swimmers and is expected to be joined by senior Andrew Matjucha, sophomore Leighton Wielgoszinski, junior Kai West and freshmen Stephen Calabro.
The sprint freestyle swimmers include the likes of Marcus and seniors Wellington Chen, Rodrigo Gomez and Sergio Torres. Junior Tyler Marzano and sophomore Carter Ferrara helped Bentley win the 200 free relay at the NE10s. Samko will also look to freshmen Daniel Lehr and Daniel Ivanchikov to contribute to the sprints and contribute to the backstroke and butterfly groups.
Torres and Matjucha helped Bentley finish second in the 800 free relay at the NE10s last year. Matjucha took silver in the 500 free.
The IM swimmers feature the likes of Eastman and freshmen John Zhang and Matt Walden and juniors Kenneth Ryu and Eddy Erofeyey.
Following Saturday's meet, Bentley has its home opener on Sunday, Oct. 29 against Saint Rose. They also host Assumption on Nov. 5 in the first half of the season.
The second half of the season features home meets against Roger Williams, Babson and Bridgewater State. The NE10 Championships will be held from February 15-18 in Worcester.