Results

Purchase, NY (Dec. 7, 2012) – Purchase swim got right back into the thick of the conference standings Friday night at home.

With the first semester winding down, in their final home swim meet of the first half of the season, the Panthers topped the College of Mount Saint Vincent in both ends of a key Skyline Conference matchup. The women earned a 103-80 victory and the men added a 96-69 win before the home crowd. Purchase combined for a 199-149 victory that went exhibition down the stretch.    

The Panthers raced out to a win on the women's side in the 200-yard medley relay, as the foursome of Haley Ryan (FR/East Hampton, NY), Bianca Covello (SO/Woodstock, NY), Kamara Lewis (JR/Jamaica, NY) and Francesca Litz (JR/Liverpool, NY) handed Purchase a quick 11 points in the first event. The Panthers also took second in the 20 MR, jumping out to a 15-2 margin in the early going on the women's side.

CMSV would take first on the men's side in the 200 MR, but the Purchase men would bounce back in the third event, keeping pace with the Dolphins.

In the third event, Patricia Fazzino (SR/Bayport, NY) took first in the 1,000-yard freestyle, increasing the women's score, and William Anderson (FR/Bloomingburg, NY) captured first on the men's side. Teammate Samir Mekrami (JR/Brooklyn, NY) added a second-place finish in the 1,000 and the Panther men were right back in the race.

Lewis and Andrew Kaplan (FR/Cooperstown, NY) added second-place finishes in the 200-yard freestyle for Purchase, and Mekrami provided a big lift in the 50 freestyle, posting a sharp 25.79 time in the event.

Litz continued her stellar first half, outdistancing herself in the 200 IM, along with men's teammate, Michael Kastner (JR/Windsor, CT), who duplicated the first-place finish and nine more points for each side in the victories.

A pair of second-place finishes by Lewis and Kastner through events 11 and 12 – the 100 butterfly.

Shortly later, Ryan would steal the show in a narrow and exciting finish against CMSV's Kristen Von Dollen. Ryan topped her in the 100 freestyle.

Mekrami starred on the men's side, capturing a first-place finish in the 100 free (56.60). Anderson was equally impressive in the 100 backstroke, taking first in 1:06.26. Anderson would also champion in the 500 free.

Litz added another first-place finish, besting the field in the 500 freestyle.

“It was a great performance on both sides,” said Purchase head coach Peter Nestel. “I'm especially excited about the men's overwhelming finish … that was big for them, but overall, both victories were important for our programs as we get set for the stretch run of the season.”

The swim teams will take part in a tri-meet Friday at Sarah Lawrence, their final showing before the holiday break.