Sophomore Pat Garvey |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams open their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference season this weekend when they travel to Fairfield, Conn., and Jersey City, N.J., to take on Fairfield University, Saint Peter’s College, Manhattan College and Canisius College.
The Purple Eagles meet the Stags Friday at 6 p.m. in dual meets. Niagara then swims against the Peacocks and Peahens, the Golden Griffins and Jaspers Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Niagara men’s team enters the weekend with a 1-1 record. It beat New Hampshire, 141-76, in its last outing on Oct. 23. The women’s team is 0-2 and lost to Vermont, 156-76, on Oct. 23.
Sophomore Pat Garvey (Pine Bush, N.Y.) is undefeated in four individual events this season. He has won the 200 IM in both meets and captured first in the 100 fly and 100 breaststroke. Freshman Joe Moeller (Bethel Park, Pa.) is also unbeaten in the 200 free. Junior diver Dave Germain (Oswego, N.Y.) is undefeated in the one- and three-meter diving events.
For the women, senior Emily Zimdahl (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) is unbeaten in two meets on the one- and three-meter diving boards.
Both the Fairfield men’s and women’s teams are 1-3 on the season after dropping meets against Loyola and Georgetown on Nov. 5. The men’s team lost 178-62 and the women fell 177-66. The Stags’ wins this season came against Saint Peter’s Oct. 23.
The Peacocks and the Peahens are 0-2 on the season. The Peacocks lost to Fordham, 140-71, on Oct. 28, and the Peahens lost, 161-52.
Both Canisius teams will be looking for their first wins of the season. The men’s team is 0-4 and the women are 0-5. Both squads lost at Cleveland State on Oct. 29. The men’s team fell, 125-79, and the women, 118-86.
Manhattan, which only sponsors a women’s team, is 3-1 on the season. The Jaspers’ lone loss was to Sacred Heart, 58-47, on Nov. 5.
Last year, the Niagara men’s squad defeated Fairfield (140-96), Canisius (141-57 & 201-67) and Saint Peter’s (112-92), while the women’s team beat Canisius three times (89-20, 180-49, 94-44), Saint Peter’s (165-32) and Manhattan (95-37), but lost to Fairfield (134-107).
