WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The Williams College Men's Swimming and Diving team began the 2025-2026 at home today, with strong victories over Springfield and NESCAC competitor, Wesleyan. The meet marked the first competition as an Eph for 7 freshmen, who were integral to the performance.
The meet kicked off with the 200 medley relay. In a thrilling race, the Williams B team clinched the victory over the A team by a margin of 0.04 seconds. This performance was highlighted by
Ryan Nunez, with an exceptional opening backstroke leg with a time of 23.47. Following Nunez was
Ian Fournier,
Harrison Williams and
Mason Green, all of whom did their part to put up a strong opening race. The Williams C relay placed third.
The next event of the meet was the 1000 yd freestyle.
Vincent Kim, a first year, claimed gold. Behind him was
Michael Ma, a senior, and veteran of this race.
The 200 yard freestyle followed behind and showcased the depth from the Ephmen. The Ephs went 1-2-3-4 with sophomore Nye Hanan putting up an impressive 1:44.91. Hanan showcased his sprinting abilities today, as he typically swims the longer races. Following Hanan was Sam Brozek,
Colin Kavanagh and
Kevin Whitworth.
Senior
Gabe Lee had a noteworthy performance in the 100 backstroke, putting up a time of 51.67. This is a strong swim for Lee, a backstroke specialist for the Ephs. Following Lee was teammate
Whitman Horton.
The 100 yard breaststroke was an exciting race as Williams swept first through fifth. Freshman
Kai Batchelor put together an outstanding swim to dip under the 1 minute barrier in a time of 59.71. Closely behind was
Michael Grover, in a time of 59:97.
The 200 butterfly was claimed by
Ryan Nunez. Nunez put up an impressive time of 1:52.73. His last 50 was incredible, coming home in a 28.98. In second and third place was
Alex Gertner and
Bob Frazer, two first years.
The diving boards were highlighted by sophomore
Calder Biondi. Taking first in 3M, Biondi put together a beautiful 5152B. His performances today mark regional cuts on both boards. This meet marks Diving Coach
Trent Makowiec's first meet at Williams. Following the meet, he remarked "We're just getting started."
In the "splash and dash" 50 freestyle
Theo Randall out-touched Springfield, winning the event in a 21.43. Randall maintained a high tempo throughout the race, helping him claim gold. Following the 50 freestyle was the 100 freestyle.
Gabe Lee took the victory, but
Alex Gertner and
Kevin Whitworth were right behind in second and third place.
The 200 backstroke featured
Whitman Horton winning the event by almost 6 seconds. Horton swam a consistent race, cruising to the wall to touch first. The 200 backstroke was claimed by
Hugh Henry, a freshman breaststroker who put up an amazing 2:10.75. Following Henry was
Kevin Jiang, in a time of 2:12.24.
The 500 yd freestyle was a tight race until the bitter end when
Ryan Nunez decisively took first place over
Vincent Kim. Both swam aggressive races, pushing each other until they touched the wall.
Toward the end of the meet,
Alex Gertner, from the outside lane, claimed the 100 butterfly going a 51.67. Gertner charged to the wall in the last 10 meters out-touching fellow freshmen
Bob Frazer and
Kai Batchelor.
Harrison Williams claimed fourth.
In the last individual race,
Whitman Horton took the top spot for the Ephs, highlighted by his backstroke leg.
To close out the meet, the Ephmen competed in the 400 freestyle relay. Utilizing their depth, the B team of Williams ended up winning the event. The relay was highlighted by
Ryan Nunez closing in a quick 45.6.
Today was a fantastic start to the 2025-2026 season. Next weekend the Ephs are challenged by the Tufts University Jumbos and WPI. The event will be held at home, at 1 p.m. on Nov 22.
