GRANTHAM, Pa. (January 15, 2022)  – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's swimming team finished first in 12 of the 14 races to defeat Messiah University 187-65  Saturday in a dual meet held at the Fredricksen Natatorium. 

Graduate student Kurt von Autenried, senior Andrew Johnson and first-year Edward Platonov each won two individual races to lead Stevens, who picked up their fourth dual victory to move to 4-2.  

P.J. Cronauer had victories in the 500 and 1000 Free to lead Messiah, who dropped to 4-4 in duals this season. The Falcons have alternated wins and losses over its eight duals. It is believed to be the first dual meeting between the programs.

All totaled, the Ducks posted 31 top-three finishes, earning 12 second-place finishes and seven third-place finishes to go along with their 12 race victories.

"We looked extremely strong after our third straight day of racing," head coach Adam Schneider said. "I think having some fast times really boosted our morale and bodes well for our next multi-day event, which will be the upcoming MAC Championships."

von Autenried finished first in both the 200 Free (1:46.81) and the 100 Fly (52.07). In the process, the Princeton Junction, New Jersey native moved into fifth place in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) in the 200 Free. 

Johnson turned in a pair of season-best performances in the breaststroke events in posting a pair of victories. The Coopersburg, Pennsylvania native finished the 100 Breast in 1:03.16, while reaching the wall in 2:18.60 in the 200. He's now moved into the top-20 swimmers in the conference in each event.

Platonov continued his impressive debut campaign, taking first in the 100 Free (48.69) and the 200 Fly (1:59.09). 

Senior Ali Kolenovic and classmate Daniel Hold each claimed a first- and a second-place finish on the day. Kolenovic posted a season-best and a MAC-leading time of 52.81 seconds in the 100 Back. The Ridgefield, New Jersey product then took second in the 400 IM. Hold posted a pair of season-best times on the afternoon, winning the 200 Back with a time of 1:59.54 and finishing behind Kolenovic in the 100 Back. Hold now holds the seventh-fastest 100 Back and the sixth-fastest 200 Back times in the conference.

Additional individual race victors included first-year Nadil Ranatunga (50 Free) and sophomore Darius Truong (400 IM). 

The Ducks won each of the relay events, with the quintet of Kolenovic, sophomores Phong Tran, Truong and von Autenried winning the 200-yard medley relay (1:39.77) by over two seconds, and the team of von Autenried, sophomore Elijah Durantine, Platonov and Kolenovic finishing first in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:19.99)  by four seconds.

The Ducks' 187 points were the second-most scored by the team in a dual this season.

Up Next: Men's swimming heads to Oneonta, New York on Jan. 29 for a dual with former Empire 8 Conference and Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association opponent, Hartwick College. The teams met yearly between the 2010-11 and 2019-20 season with the Ducks coming out ahead in all 10 contests. A link for live video is posted to StevensDucks.com.

Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics         
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
#AllRise