LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates swimming and diving teams started their 2023-24 campaign with a convincing sweep of Wesleyan in a dual meet Saturday at Tarbell Pool.

The Bates women's team outscored Wesleyan 178-109 while the Bates men's team outscored the Cardinals 221-59. 

"Knowing the training we've done, and work we've committed to, I was happy to see fast times pop up, and that we haven't lost our speed," head coach Peter Casares said. "There's no doubt many were tired from this past week, but they still fought, and they know that we are on the right path. There is still lots of work to do, but we know this is a group that can handle it, and believes in it."

Bates Women's Highlights

• Senior Natalie Young (Windham, N.H.), first-year Sarah Palmer (Brunswick, Maine), sophomore Emma Burke (Whitesboro, N.Y.), and senior captain Grace Wenger (Hanover, N.H.) won the 200-yard medley relay in 1:48.87. The Bates "B" relay of junior Morgan Porter (Scarborough, Maine), sophomore Lily Barisonek (New Vernon, N.J.), first-year Emily Kalvaitis (Darien, Conn.), and senior Margie McLeod (Durham, Maine) took second in 1:51.75, touching the wall nearly two seconds before the Wesleyan "A" relay team, which got third.
• Junior Stephanie Tropper (Solon, Ohio) and first-year Cora Zuwallack (Falmouth, Mass.) took 1-2 in the 1,000-yard freestyle in 10:52.00 and 10:57.00 respectively.
• Palmer won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:06.13, the sixth fastest time in the 100 breaststroke in Bates women's swimming history.
• Burke and first-year Abby Sellnow (Schenectady, N.Y.) placed 1-2 in the 200-yard butterfly, with times of 2:09.77 and 2:15.67 respectively.
• Wenger, McLeod, and sophomore Lianna Rosman (Bethesda, Md.) took 1-2-3 in 50-yard freestyle, with Wenger winning in 24.44 seconds.
• Wenger also won the 100-yard freestyle, racing to the finish in 52.81 seconds.
• Palmer, Barisonek, and first-year Amber Zeng (South Windsor, Conn.) finished 1-2-3 in 200-yard breaststroke, with Palmer's winning time of 2:25.95 the 10th fastest 200-yard breaststroke in Bates women's swimming history.
• Tropper and Zuwallack took 1-2 in the 500-yard freestyle, with times of 5:18.78 and 5:23.49 respectively.
• Kalvaitis and Burke finished 1-2 in the 100-yard butterfly, as Kalvaitis won in 59.70 and Burke took second in 1:00.24.
• Young won the 200-yard IM in 2:12.78.
• Rosman, Tropper, McLeod, and Wenger capped off the day with a win in the 400-yard freestyle relay, racing to the finish in 3:38.44.

Bates Men's Highlights

• The Bobcats dominated the 200-yard medley relay, taking the top three spots. First-year Tim Johnson (Brewster, Mass.), sophomore Marrich Somridhivej (South Windsor, Conn.), sophomore Max Cory (Dublin, Calif.), and first-year John Weigel (Iowa City, Iowa) won the race in 1:33.84. Sophomores Kyle Beebe (Chatham, N.J.), Kailer Tom (San Francisco, Calif.), Trent Hieber (Granby, Conn.), and Nate Pierce (Fairfield, Maine) placed second in 1:36.12. Only the top two relays from both schools score points, but the Bates "C" relay team of senior captain Mark Gregory (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), first-year Noah Katz (Hallowell, Maine), senior Wil Dewey (Ithaca, N.Y), and first-year Collin Faraher (Madison, N.J.) impressed as well, taking third in 1:37.63, touching the wall just before the Wesleyan "A" relay. 
• Sophomore Matt Kunkiewicz (Hillsborough, N.J.), Gregory, and first-year Liam Friedlander (Pittsburgh, Pa.) took 1-2-3 in the 1,000-yard freestyle, with Kunkiewicz winning in 10:11.08.
• Weigel won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:45.62.
• Johnson won the 100-yard backstroke in 52.36.
• Somridhivej, Tom, and junior Jaewoo Kim (San Ramon, Calif.) finished 1-2-3 in the 100-yard breaststroke, with Somridhivej winning in 58.63 seconds.
• Friedlander won the 200-yard butterfly in 1:59.06.
• Cory, Faraher, and Dewey placed 1-2-3 in the 50-yard freestyle, with Cory winning in 20.73 seconds.
• Weigel, Pierce, and Faraher, finished 1-2-3 in the 100-yard freestyle, with Weigel winning in 47.51 seconds.
• Johnson, Beebe, and first-year Nicholas Danko (Newtown, Pa.) took 1-2-3 in the 200-yard backstroke, with Johnson winning in 1:55.73.
• Kim, Tom, and junior Jack Mocarski (Fairfield, Conn.) placed 1-2-3 in 200-yard breaststroke with Kim winning in 2:15.29.
• Cory set a new Tarbell Pool record and won the 100-yard butterfly in 50.84 seconds.
• Weigel, Kim, and Morcarski took 1-2-3 in the 200-yard IM, with Weigel winning in 1:59.36. Only the top three individuals score points, but the Bobcats also got a fourth-place showing in the event from Friedlander.
• Cory, Faraher, Gregory, and Pierce, won the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:13.08. Beebe, Johnson, Somridhivej, and Dewey took second in 3:13.52 in an incredibly close race to finish the meet. Wesleyan's "A" relay was well behind the top two Bates relay teams, touching the wall in 3:19.06. 

The Bates women's and men's swimming and diving teams are back in action on Friday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec. 2 when they compete in the Maine State Meet, hosted by Colby College.