FREDERICK, Md. - Hood College won its school record 10th dual meet of the season with a 123-83 victory over Division II Davis & Elkins at the Huntsinger Aquatics Center.
It was the second win of the year for the Blazers over an opponent from a higher division. Hood defeated Division I Howard to split a tri-meet that included Towson to open the season.
Prior to the start of meet against the Senators, Hood honored seniors Connor Eliff (Frederick, Md. / Frederick) and Drake Halpern (Oceanport, N.J. / Shore Regional), swimming in the final home dual of their college careers.
The Blazers just missed on a pair of school records during the win. Hood opened the meet with a win in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Alex Bodine (Frederick, Md. / Urbana), BJ Daisey (Lewes, Del. / Sussex Tech), Victor Muleki (Irving, Texas / MacArthur) and Lucas Mestas-Nunez (Corpus Christi, Texas / Bluff) finished just 0.03 shy of the school standard with a time of 1:39.86. Daisey later took second in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:01.29, only 0.11 off of his own school record.
In addition to swimming on the winning 200 free relay, Bodine scored a pair of wins as an individual. The junior sprinted up and back in 22.25 to win the 50-yard freestyle and captured first place in the 100-yard butterfly in 54.30. His win in the 50 free was his fourth in five tries this year.
Chris Gardner (Smyrna, Del. / Cab Calloway School of the Arts) and Cameron Rogers (Servern, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) had two wins apiece. Rogers continued his excellence in the distance freestyle events. He won the 1,000 in 10:12.73, his fifth win of the year in the event, and touched the wall first in the 500 with a time of 5:04.66 for his sixth victory of the year in that event. Teammate Michael Curry (Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Catholic) finished third in the 1,000 in 10:25.02 and took second in the 500 with his time of 5:08.12.
Gardner defeated Rogers for the win in the 200 free in 1:51.87, almost five seconds faster than his teammate. Gardner later won the 100-yard backstroke in 56.93.
Hood's other event win of the afternoon went to Daisey. The freshman swam the 200-yard individual medley in 2:05.91.
Muleki finished second to Bodine in the 50 free with a time of 22.82.
The Blazers took second and third in the 100-yard freestyle behind the efforts of Mestas-Nunez and Jonathan Collier (Darby, Pa. / Home Schooled). Mestas-Nunez touched the wall in 51.51 for second place, 0.36 faster than Collier.
In the 100 fly, Alessio Mario (Mullica Hill, N.J. / Clearview Regional) was third in 57.97. Eliff scored a third place finish in the 200 breast with a time of 1:07.94.
The win gave Hood 10 on the year, surpassing the old record of nine set last season.
The Blazers, 10-2 on the year, hit the road for a dual meet at Misericordia on January 25.
