ONEONTA, N.Y. (January 29, 2022)  – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's swimming team won three of the first four races and then closed out the day with a big win in the 400 Free Relay to defeat Hartwick College 145-134 Saturday in a non-conference dual at Moyer Pool.

The Ducks totaled eight race victories on the day, with graduate student Kurt von Autenried leading the way with two wins for the Ducks, who won their second straight to improve to 5-2 on the year. Stevens improved to 11-0 all-time against Hartwick.

Michael Schultz and Colin Leonard each had two wins for Hartwick, who suffered its first defeat of the season in falling to 8-1.

All totaled, each side totaled eight race wins, while also collecting seven second-place finishes. The deciding factor in the match was the Ducks' eight third-place finishes, while Hartwick only had six. 

"The men had a great meet and Hartwick was a great last pre-Championship dual meet opponent," head coach Adam Schneider said. "The meet came down to the last few events and when we needed to create some energy and swim fast we were able to, which at this time of year was fantastic to see."

The Ducks claimed victories in the 200-yard medley relay, the 1000-yard freestyle, the 100-yard backstroke, the 50-yard freestyle, the 200-yard backstroke, the 500-yard freestyle, the 100-yard butterfly and the 400-yard freestyle relay.

"Both of our teams are looking their strongest right now, which is exactly where we want to be this time of year," the first-year head coach added.

von Autenried finished with a pair of victories, while senior Daniel Hold had a first- and second-place finish. First-year Edward Platonov joined senior Ali Kolenovic and classmate Thomas Haemmerle in rounding out the Ducks' race winners. Sophomore Darius Truong had a pair of second-place finishes, while sophomore Elijah Durantine and senior Andrew Johnson each had a second- and third-place finish. Senior Ryan Callaghan finished third in two different races, while first-year Liam Rodgers and sophomore Phong Tran each posted one second-place finish. First-year Zack Chirico finished third in the 500 Free to round out the Ducks' place-winners. 

The Ducks kicked off the exciting dual with a six-tenths-of-a-second victory in the 200 medley relay. The quartet of Truong, Johnson, von Autenried and Platonov reached the wall in 1:38.15, using a strong first and third leg to secure the victory. The Ducks continue to hold the top time in the conference in the event.

Platonov would make it a perfect 2 for 2 for the Ducks with a three-second victory in the 1,000 with a season-best time of 10:25.80. Hartwick would score its first win of the day in the 200 Free, before Hold picked up a narrow victory over Truong in the 100 Back. Hold maintains the seventh-fastest time in the Middle Atlantic Conference.

The Hawks picked up wins in the 100 Breast and the 200 Fly before von Autenried topped the field in the 50 Free with a time of 21.37 seconds. The fifth-year swimmer continues to hold the fastest 50 Free time (21.23 seconds) in the conference. von Autenried also defeated the field in the 100 Fly, winning with a time of 51.73 seconds. The Princeton Junction, New Jersey native's first split time of 24.12 seconds was the fastest split of anyone in the race. 

Hartwick would take first in the 100 Free, before the Ducks grabbed the top two spots in the 200 Back, with Kolenovic finishing in a season-best 1:54.38, which is the fastest time in the MAC this season. 

Leonard would win the 200 Breast, but Haemmerle out-touched Brady Haraden at the wall to score a win in the 500 Free. The Paramus, New Jersey product finished the race in 5:04.75.

After Hartwick won the 200 IM, the Ducks secured the victory by taking first and third in the 400 Free relay. The quartet of von Autenried, Platonov, Hold and Kolenovic finished with a time of 3:12.95 to earn 11 points for the team total. The Ducks finished third in the race, with first-year Cade Cermak, first-year Jack Martinek, sophomore Douglas Sousa and Truong finishing in 3:19.73. The Ducks' winning time is the third-fastest swim in the conference this season.

The dual closed out the Ducks' regular season. 

Up Next: Men's swimming heads to York, Pennsylvania on Feb. 10 for the four-day Middle Atlantic Conference Championships.

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