Men's Swim & Dive ready for MAAC Championships

Men's Swim & Dive ready for MAAC Championships

2019 MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – A year after setting a program record for points, the Bryant University men's swimming and diving team heads back to the Burt Flickinger Center in Buffalo, New York, ready to exceed that performance at the 2019 MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships.

The Bulldogs finished third at last year's championships with a program-record 536.5 points over the course of the four-day meet.

"All of our men are ready and excited for a great MAAC meet," head coach Katie Cameron said. "We are confident that the work and attention to detail we put into this season will pay off this week. We anticipate some very exciting relays and many great individual performances. Our men are very ready to swim fast and dive well!"

Leading the way this week will be graduate student Micah Ornelas (San Diego, Calif.). Ornelas heads into his first MAAC Championships seeded first in both the 100 fly and 200 fly and second in the 200 IM. He's also primed to headline an always impressive performance from the Bulldog relay teams.

Bryant will also rely on the veteran experience of senior Tavish Boyle (Springfield, N.J.) and reigning MAAC Rookie of the Meet Matthew Mays (St. Croix, Virgin Islands). Boyle has medaled in both the 100 and 200 breast events each of the last three seasons, including three silver medals in the 200 breast. Like Ornelas, Boyle will also play a big role in Bryant's relay group.

Mays enjoyed an outstanding debut season last winter, winning a gold medal in the 200 fly. This year, Mays enters seeded in the top three in both back events and third in the 200 IM. Mays holds school records in both back events.

Bryant's divers are also primed to take another big step this week. Last year, Trevor Hazlewood (Corpus Christi, Texas) and Kevin Sullivan (East Lyme, Conn.) became the first male divers to reach the 'A' finals and are both back this year. The Bulldogs also feature freshman Evan Clark (Doylestown, Pa.) and Zach Vogel (South Easton, Mass.). Hazlewood and Clark both seeded in the top eight in the 1-meter dive, while Hazlewood, Sullivan and Vogel are all in the top 10 of the 3-meter.

The 2019 MAAC Championships get underway Wednesday night and run through Saturday at Erie Community College.