COMPLETE RESULTS (PDF)


(NEWARK, NJ) -- Despite a pair of first-place finishes for both sophomore Mattheau Bonner and freshman Kai Legband, the NJIT men's swimming and diving team fell to University of Massachusetts on Sunday, 201-97, at the Wellness and Events Center (WEC) in Newark.

UMass improved to 2-1 for the season, while the Highlanders dropped to 2-2.

"I was really happy with how the team swam," said first-year head coach Ron Farina. "UMass is a very strong team and I feel we stepped up and raced them well today."

Bonner won his first event of the day in the 200 Yard Butterfly (1:56.13) in exciting fashion -- out-touching UMass' Casey Ransford (1:56.18) by five-one hundreths of a second. The Ontario native later led the pack in the 100 Yard Butterfly with a time of 53:08.

Legband earned the first individual first-place finish of his collegiate career when he paced the 50 Yard Freestyle with a time of 0:21.20. He followed up with a win in the 100 Yard Freestyle with a time of 0:46.46 -- just ahead of his teammate, freshman Joshua Franco (0:46.75).  

Legband also led NJIT with a third-place finish in the 500 Yard Freestyle (4:35.58).

Franco earned a win in the 200 Yard Freestyle (1:42.44) while finishing second in both the 100 Yard Freestyle and 200 Yard IM (1:57.65).

NJIT's 200 Yard Medley Relay team of Legband, junior Nicholas Lyons, Bonner and Franco garnered second-place honors with a time of 1:37.38.

Lyons was the HIghlanders top finisher in both the 100 Yard Breaststroke (0:59.93) and the 200 Yard Breaststroke (2:13.60), placing third in both races.

On the diving side, senior Avery Bechtel led NJIT in the Three Meter Dive in placing third with a score of 181.20. Junior Cole Becker led the Highlanders in the One Meter Dive by placing fourth with a score of 179.85.

The Highlanders are back in action next weekend for a two-day meet at Bryant College in Smithfield, R.I., beginning Friday at 6 p.m.

Their next action at the WEC will be on Friday, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m. against St. Francis Brooklyn.