Seton Hall University
Rider
Men's Swim & Dive Downed by Rider
10/17/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Oct. 17, 2013
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Drawing a tough test in reigning MAAC champions Rider in their first home appearance of 2013-14, the Seton Hall men's swimming and diving team dropped a 189-111 decision to the Broncs on Thursday evening inside the Arthur E. Imperatore Natatorium.
Seton Hall (1-1) did record five victories on the evening as a youth-laden squad that includes 11 freshmen looks to continue to develop as the season progresses.
Junior diver Ben Mitchell (Milford, Pa.) was progress personified during a sophomore campaign that saw him continually re-write the SHU record books and Thursday, he delivered a victory from the three-meter board in what has become trademark dominating fashion. Mitchell totaled 314.65 from his six-dive set, winning the event by 34 points. In the process, he also bested heralded Rider diver Trevor Hiller, last year's Most Outstanding Male Diver at the MAAC Championships, by over 45 points.
Mitchell later placed second in one-meter competition, posting a score of 285.50.
In the pool, the Pirates had three more individual victors as junior James Logan (Wallingford, Pa.) and freshman Keith Carlino (Hopwell Junction, N.Y.) each won for the second-straight meet while senior Matt Benson (Overland Park, Kan.) scored his first win of the season.
Logan eclipsed the field in the 100-breast with a time of 1:00.08 while senior Joey Lacus (Wethersfield, Conn.) touched in just over two seconds later to claim fifth. Both Logan and Lacus came in under the qualifying standard set for the BIG EAST Championship in the race, as did another senior in Ian DeLisio (Woodstock, N.Y.).
Carlino finished in just under 53 seconds to rank first in the 100-back as Benson placed third followed by junior and former Rider swimmer Zach DeLillo (Sinking Spring, Pa.) in fourth and freshman Xavier Jimenez (Cincinnati, Ohio) as four Pirates in total bested the BIG EAST qualifying standard.
Benson and Carlino later combined to record a pair of top-three finishes in the 200-back, but this time it was Benson at the front with a time of 1:56.14.
SHU also recorded a victory in the 200-medley relay as Carlino, Logan, DeLillo and freshman Zach Suter (Aurora, Colo.) turned in a time of 1:35.57.
Suter (2nd, 22.24) was the Pirates' top finisher in the 50-free as he and classmate TJ Merighi (Vineland, N.J.) who finished fourth with a time of 22.52 each earned an opportunity to swim at the conference championship. He also placed fourth in the 100-free, a race in which sophomore Tim Bosse (New Windsor, N.Y.) was the runner-up (48.11).
DeLillo led the team in the 100-fly (3rd, 53.74) while freshman Seth Underwood (Collegeville, Pa.) was the Pirates' top finisher in the 500-free and senior Greg Black (Easton, Pa.) paced the squad in the 200-fly.
All three of their respective efforts were good enough to surpass conference qualifying standards.
The Pirates will return to action on Saturday, October 26 when they take on hosts Loyola (MD) as well as Drexel and Lafayette in a quad meet in Baltimore, Md. Start-time is set for 1:00 p.m.
