The Lehman College men's and women's swimming and diving teams returned to action last night as they hosted non-conference power William Paterson University at the APEX Aquatics Center. Lehman's men's squad (2-1 Overall, 0-0 CUNYAC) suffered their first loss of the season, falling to the Pioneers (3-1 Overall, 0-1 NJAC) by a score of 128-97, while the Lightning women (0-3 Overall, 0-0 CUNYAC) is still searching for their first triumph of the year after being turned back by William Paterson (4-1 Overall, 0-1 NJAC) by a score of 127-73.

The Pioneer men were too much for Lehman, as four William Paterson swimmers were double winners. Senior Michael O'Shea finished first in the one-meter (209.78) and three-meter (210.15) dives, while junior Kirk Smith won the 200 IM (2:08.72) and 100 breast (1:05.21). Junior Voyta Karas touched first in the 100 (48.89) and 200 (1:50.83) frees, and senior David Caputo was the winner in the 1,000 free (10:47, 31) as well as the 500 free with a personal-best time of 5:13.26. Sophomore Evan Seftel placed first in the 50 free (22.85), junior Stefan Rosales was the winner in the 100 back (58.41), and sophomore Jeremy Lim won the race of the meet, posting a time of 59.29 in the 100 fly.

For Lehman's men's squad, despite the loss, diver David Turay was exceptional in the defeat, as he put forth a score of 179.55 in the men's 3M diving competition. Right behind him was fellow diver Johan Lopez who put together a score of 170.25 for his dive.

On the women's side, the Pioneer women were hitting on all cylinders throughout the evening. Three of William Paterson's standouts were double winners. Sophomore Kirsten Shea finished first in the 200 IM (2:47.00) and the 100 breast (1:29.30), marking the first time during her career that she was a double winner. Senior Grace McKay touched first in the 200 free (2:19.80) and the 100 back (1:10.60), and classmate Cathy Hartwell won the 50 (28.91) and 100 (1:03.87) frees. Freshman Lesly Mendoza rounded out the list of winners with a time of 1:14.81 in the 100 fly.

Despite the loss for the Lehman women, Yudelka Espinal and Jessica Espinal put forth spirited efforts in their events, while Basilisa Alonso broke the school record in the 200 IM and standout Luisa Garcia put forth two personal best times. Following the meet, Head Coach Peter Kiernan was upbeat despite the defeats.

“Although we lost these meets, the effort and the determination was evident this evening,” Kiernan said. “I also like the fact that both teams are supporting each other to the fullest extent. It is very encouraging to see and I only expect us to keep getting better as the season progresses.

The Lehman College women's squad will return to action Monday evening as they battle the John Jay College Bloodhounds in a CUNYAC meet, with starting time scheduled for 7:00pm, and the men's team returns to the pool on December 1st to take on SUNY Maritime w/USMMA at 6:30pm.