Bronx, NY (Nov. 19, 2018) – Purchase College men's and women's swim opened the 2018-19 season at non-conference Lehman College Monday night. The host Lightning defeated the visiting Panthers 92-71 on the men's end and 71-55 on the women's side at The APEX Pool.

The Lightning men improve to 3-1 record and the women go to 2-3 on the year, while the Purchase drops to 0-1.

On the women's side, standout senior Katherine Lopez (Dix Hills, NY) led all scorers with first place finishes at the 200-yard freestyle (2:31.88) and the 100 breaststroke (1:32.57).

The Panther men opened with an impressive showing at the 200 medley relay. Seniors Craig Browning (Carmel, NY) and Robert Olejarz (Brooklyn, NY), sophomore Christopher Keenan (Elmsford, NY) and freshmen Harrison McDonald (Salt Lake City, UT) teamed up for a combined 2:14.05 finish.  

"The meet was a great start for the team," said head coach J. Brian Hansbury. "The highlights were seeing many of our new swimmers compete for the first time along with the comradery and sportsmanship that they showed towards each other and the Lehman swimmers. Lehman provided us with a friendly and competitive meet—class act by both teams."

Purchase returns to action after the Thanksgiving break with a rescheduled Skyline match against Maritime College. The Panther home opener is slated for 6 p.m.