STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Pace University Men's Swimming and Diving collected nine event victories to open its season at the Dolphin Kick Off Invite on Saturday. The Setters finished second with 198.5 points, just 9.5 points behind Montclair State.
Kostiantyn Kvasha and Morgon Washington-Patterson led Pace with two individual victories apiece. Kvasha won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:45.63 and the 200-yard individual medley in 2:00.31, while Washington-Patterson swept the sprint freestyle events, winning the 50 in 21.89 and the 100 in 47.73.
The Setters claimed the top three spots in the 200 freestyle. Washington-Patterson followed Kvasha in second with a time of 1:47.28, while Aidan Tat finished third in 1:52.11. Kvasha also placed second in the 100 freestyle in 48.16, giving Pace a one-two finish in that event.
Javier Cisternas Gomez won the 200-yard backstroke in 1:59.98 and added three runner-up finishes. He touched second in the 100-yard butterfly in 51.65, the 200 butterfly in 1:58.90 and the 100 backstroke in 54.75.
Melo Meir captured the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:15.87 and finished second in the 100 breaststroke in 59.07. Colton Roberts added a victory in the 400 IM with a time of 4:25.97, while Matthew McCaffrey placed third in both the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:33.69) and 500 freestyle (5:11.10).
On the diving boards, Nikolas Kline swept both events, winning the one-meter competition with 252.30 points and the three-meter event with 248.80 points. Adem Ozkurt finished second on one meter with 121.30 points.
Pace also earned three runner-up relay finishes. Jordyn Cristoff-Gonzalez, Washington-Patterson, Greg Farnum and Kvasha combined for a time of 1:27.37 in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The Setters finished second in the 400-yard medley relay in 3:39.88 and narrowly missed a victory in the 200 medley relay, touching in 1:37.38, just four hundredths of a second behind Montclair State.
Montclair State finished with 208 points, followed by Pace with 198.5 and Staten Island with 70.5.
The Setters jump back into the pool next Friday for a home-opening match-up against Adelphi University set for 4:00 p.m.
