Results Purchase, NY
(Nov. 19, 2015) – The Purchase College men's and women's swim teams hosted CUNY rival Lehman College Thursday night.
The women posted a 137-58 final, while the men lost 113-74 to the Lightning in the program's home opener.
The Panther women started strong for the hosts, capturing the 200-yard medley relay. The foursome of
Katherine Lopez (FR/Dix Hills, NY),
Natalie Allen (SR/Staten Island, NY),
Kelsey Straub (JR/White Plains, NY) and
Sarah Piraino (FR/Liverpool, NY) handed Purchase an 11-4 lead after the first event.
On the men's side,
Ryuichiro Okada (SO/Osaka, Japan),
Robert Olejarz (SO/Brooklyn, NY),
Robert Ashkinos (SO/Sparkill, NY) and
Connor Leavens (JR/Whitestone, NY) finished second, as Lehman took an 11-4 margin of its own.
Haley Ryan (SR/East Hampton, NY) followed for the Panther women in the 1,000 freestyle, taking first in the endurance event. Teammate
Alex Lally (JR/Sunnyvale, TX) added a second-place tally, as Purchase raced out to a commanding 24-9 advantage. Ryan sported a 13:59.20 showing in the event.
The Lightning, behind Enes Mernica, took the 1,000 on the men's side. He touched first, followed by Purchase's
Carl Marsh (SR/Southampton, NY). Lehman had two swimmers record points in the event; with the Lightning gaining a 23-8 lead.
Colleen Ferguson (FR/Marcellus, NY) delivered nine more points for Purchase in the 200 free. The first-place finish increased the lead to 40-12. A first-place for
Melissa Trail (SR/Pound Ridge, NY) in the 50 free kept the Panthers surging.
Purchase held a 54-17 lead after seven events. Later in the program, Ferguson took first in the 100 butterfly (1:10.79).
The Lehman men pushed their lead to 50-18 after the eighth event, the 50 freestyle. The visitors won the 200 free and 50 free events, respectively.
Panther standout
Lorena Peralta (SO/Bronx, NY), whose brother Ramon is an assistant for Lehman, garnered a first-place finish in the 200 IM. Peralta's first bumped the host's lead to 66-24. Ferguson's first in the 100 fly made it 79-27 following the first intermission.
The Purchase men battled back with a first-place finish in the 100 fly. Captain
Sam Jaffe (JR/Silver Spring, MD) bested the field in 57.41. The win helped the Panthers score nine points and cut the deficit to 63-41.
A second individual win for Jeremy Guerra, this time in the 100 free, helped Lehman stretch that lead. Two Lightning swimmers, including Ryan Sanchez, who took first in the 100 back, made the score 88-51.
Meanwhile, the Panther women were also starting to pull away. Peralta added her second individual victory. The sophomore standout took first in the 100 back (1:07.99), while Ferguson captured her third first-place on the night in the 500 free (5:56.51). Lopez added a second in that race.
Back on the men's side, Mernica would come back with a win in the 500 free. Marsh took second, but the Lightning had sealed the win. Lehman added a first in the 100 breaststroke and then swam the final two events in exhibition, including the entire men's 200 freestyle relay.
For the Panther women, Ferguson starred with three individual wins, while Peralta followed with a pair of individual wins and a first-place team victory in the 200 free relay to close the night. The Panther men were paced by Jaffe and his two first-place finishes. He also finished second in the 100 breaststroke.
The Panther women are now 4-4. The men are 1-5. The Lehman men are 2-0, while the women are 1-1.
NOTES: In pre-meet announcements,
Sports Information Director Bobby Ciafardini acknowledged the program's conference weekly winners to date. The Panthers have had three swimmers thus far receive weekly honors – Trail, Marsh and Jaffe … Ciafardini also thanked Ferguson for penning the team's road recaps, providing additional insight when the team is away from Purchase … Lehman had diving exhibition prior to the swim meet.
