The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams took their final stand at home on Saturday against Keene State College and Bridgewater State University. The teams honored their graduating seniors Edan Zitelny ’17, Eb Webber ’17 and Cameron Braz ’17 as they competed in their penultimate meet of the regular season. 

The first gold of the day came at the hands of Noah Ayers ’20 in the 1000-yard freestyle event. Ayers finished with a cool time of 10:43.09, while teammate Sam Scudere-Weiss ’18 followed in fourth with a time of 11:32.19.

Tamir Zitelny ’20 was next in line to grab a gold medal in the 200-yard butterfly, impressing the crowd and clocking in at 1:57.45, a full three seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Tamir Zitelny did not stop there, squeezing his way through for a gold in the 200-yard backstroke event. Tamir hit the finish line a mere one second ahead of his brother, who took third with a time of 2:02.56. 

Tamir Zitelny’s ferocious approach proved the decisive factor for the Judges as he took home a hat trick of golds, finishing off the day with the top spot in the 100-yard butterfly. Webber was dominant and eased into third place, finishing a full four seconds in front of the next competitor. 

The seniors cleaned up nicely, sporting a plethora of medals on the day. Braz stole the show in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.05 and a gold medal to show for it. He also managed a silver in each of the 200- and 100-yard freestyle competitions. Edan Zitelny added to the Judges’ treasure trove, blitzing the competition for a shiny silver in the 100-yard backstroke and a bronze in the 200-yard individual medley. 

To cap off the day, the Judges went all out to win the 200-yard freestyle relay. Led by Edan Zitelny and closed out by Braz, the A team came together and was able to pull off a terrific win and go out with an emphatic bang. 

The women’s squad fared equally well, swimming to multiple medals and making a positive mark on their season. 

With no seniors on the women’s team, first-year Natalya Wozab ’20 showed her grit in the 100-yard breaststroke. Wozab knocked the competition with a 1:12.73 time and won her first of three gold medals on the day.

Wozab continued her stellar performance in the 200-yard breaststroke, touching the finish line  nearly three seconds before the second place swimmer. With a time of 2:37.89, Wozab stood steady with a second gold on her neck. 

Wozab sealed her day with another gold in the 200-yard individual medley, coming in hot with a time of 2:22.28. 

The first years continued to make their mark with Hwanhee Park ’20 and Yvette Smith ’20 snatching up silvers in their respective events. Park nabbed a 2:09.19 time in the 200-yard freestyle, while Smith finished the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 58.16.

Kylie Herman ’19 also went the length in the 500- and 1000-yard freestyle, racking up a silver medal in each.  Herman also led the Judges to a second-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle. 

The teams will make the trek next Saturday to compete against Clark University before the UAA championships begin on Feb. 8.

The UAA championships will take place at the University of Chicago and will span the four-day period of events. The Judges will continue on to the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving  Association competition on Feb. 17. 

The men and women will look to avenge their seven losses on the season. The Judges started out the year in some choppy waters but have been able to gain momentum in recent meets.