POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Hartwick Men's Swimming and Diving team closed out the regular season with a strong showing at the Vassar Sprint Invitational, securing a second-place finish on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Coming off a win over St. Lawrence in their final dual meet, the Blue and White carried that momentum into their final tune-up before the postseason.
Hartwick opened the meet with a third-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay as Keegan Burkhardt (West Hurley, NY), Karim Mohamed (New Hartford, N.Y.), Conor Barry (Clifton Park, NY), and Badr Aly (East Syracuse, NY) touched in at 1:42.88, finishing less than a second behind Skidmore.
Cameron Drake (El Cajon, Cal.) jumpstarted the Hawks' scoring by claiming the 500-yard freestyle title with a winning time of 4:53.75. Burkhardt and Mohamed followed with solid point-scoring efforts in the 100-yard backstroke, placing third and fourth, respectively.
Hassan Abdelwahed (New Hartford, N.Y.) continued the momentum by capturing the 50-yard breaststroke in 27.44 seconds. Bryce Rogers (Fulton, N.Y.) added another event win, taking the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 54.05.
Despite not counting towards team scoring, Hartwick claimed bragging rights in the mixed 200-yard medley relay. Abdelwahed and Rogers teamed up with Cassidy Payrot (Cicero, NY) and Aubrey Vaile (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) to post a time of 1:45.75.
Rogers narrowly missed a second individual victory in the 100-yard freestyle, finishing just .04 seconds behind the winner, while Lane Rawls (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) added valuable points with a fourth-place finish. Drake closed out his day with another first-place performance, touching the wall in 1:51.28 to win the 200-yard freestyle.
On the boards, Aidan Page (Schenectady, NY) captured the one-meter diving event with a final score of 179.80. Abdelwahed capped off his standout day by securing the 100-yard breaststroke title with a time of 1:00.27.
Hartwick finished the meet with a runner-up performance in the 200-yard freestyle relay, as Rogers, Aly, Abdelwahed, and Mahdi Behniaye (Hannibal, Mo.) clocked in at 1:31.60, just one second behind host Vassar.
The Hawks placed second overall in the five team field, finishing behind Vassar and ahead of Skidmore, Delhi, and Bard.
RESULTS
UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS
The Hawks turn their attention to the Empire 8 Championships at the Webster Aquatic Center. Day one of competition is set for February 18, with preliminary heats beginning at 10 a.m. and finals scheduled for a 5 p.m. start.
About Hartwick College:
Hartwick, often referred to as The Life Balance College, is a private liberal arts and sciences institution in Oneonta, N.Y. Through its distinctive FlightPath approach, Hartwick blends academic excellence, career preparation and an active campus life to help students achieve a balanced and fulfilling college experience. With transparent tuition and a focus on health and wellness, Hartwick prepares students for lifelong success—both professionally and personally.
