Results

Purchase, NY (Nov. 18, 2011) – The Purchase College men's and women's swim teams returned home Friday night for a marquee matchup with non-conference rival Lehman College.

The Panthers swam past the Lightning, a perennial CUNY Conference contender, on the women's side, but came up just short on the men's side. The Lehman men defeated host Purchase 113-85, while the women coasted to a 103-71 final that was wrapped in exhibition. Lehman also took in a round of exhibition diving that didn't count against the final scores.

An early DQ on the men's side played a role in the outcome as Lehman jumped out to a sizeable advantage following the mid-race events. The Panther women were also aided early by a pair of DQ's by the Lightning.

The Panthers led 11-0 after the first event on the women's side. The Lightning raced out to a 15-2 lead on the men's side, taking first and second place in the 200-yard medley relay.

Lehman's Yocari Almanzar bested the field in the 1000 freestyle, with her counterpart, Ivan Sradanovic taking first in the same event.

Purchase started its push on the women's side and a strong start to the evening for the men by event five and six. Christina Muller* (SR/Poughkeepsie, NY) (2:19.44) won the 200-yard freestyle. August Cook (JR/Syracuse, NY) followed suit for Purchase, winning the 200 free (1:58.66) in impressive time. Alexandria Bodick (FR/New Canaan, CT) and Bianca Covello (FR/Woodstock, NY) finished first and second, respectively, for Purchase in the 50 free, while Kamara Lewis (SO/Jamaica, NY) rung up for a first-place touch in the 200 IM. Patricia Fazzino (JR/Bayport, NY) and Katherine Abrams (JR/Brooklyn, NY) added second and third place finishes in the event as Purchase seized control on the women's side.

Lewis added another first-place in the 100 butterfly, coming across at 1:12.56. Muller produced her second first by championing the field in the 100 freestyle. Muller narrowly edged Adriana Navareete in a very exciting race – 1:02.60-1:30.00.

Lisa Lakeman (FR/East Hampton, NY) turned in a super performance as did Sydney Cohen* (SO/Oceanside, NY) as the Panther duo finished first and second, respectively, in the 100 backstroke.

The Panther men had some nice finishes down the stretch, including a second-place finale for Joshua Nielson (SR/Saratoga Springs, NY) in the 500 freestyle and another first-place for Cook, who toppled his competition in the 100 breaststroke. Cook finished in 1:06.19. The men would later tally 11 of 16 points earned in the 200 freestyle relay – the final event of the night.

“Good effort all around,” Purchase head coach Peter Nestel said. “We performed well tonight and we're getting better with each meet.”

The Panthers will now have Thanksgiving week off before gearing up for the ECACs in early December. Shortly after, Purchase will host its third home meet of the season before the mid-winter break on Dec. 9 against Sarah Lawrence.