THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – The Maritime men's & women's swimming teams returned to action and opened the spring 2017 semester with victories over the St. Joseph's (Bklyn) Bears. The women's team scored a 126-58 win, while the men's team picked up a 113-34 victory.
 
The men's team was the first to the wall in all 11 events on the evening, while the women's team scores victories in nine of 11 events.
 
The quartet of junior Sarah Soulagnet (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Homeschooled), sophomores Katia Aaron (Clarence, N.Y./Clarence) and Emily Zink (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport), and freshman Gabrielle Thompson (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) opened the evening with a time of 2:11.48 in the 200 medley relay.
 
Senior Ashley O'Brien (Queens, N.Y./Mary Louis Academy) scored the first win of the night for the women's team with a 13:33.36, as she smashed her previous career-best which was a 14:01.95 during the 2014-15 season against William Paterson. Aaron was second to finish with a 14:30.37. Sophomore Erica Davis (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) collected a win in the 200 freestyle with a 2:31.57, narrowly edging the top swimmer from St. Joseph's (Bklyn).
 
Soulagnet posted a win with a 26.85 in the 50 freestyle, while freshman Bethany Champlin (Bronx, N.Y./Saint Vincent) scored a 30.82 for the third place finish. Junior Gabrielle Kempski (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) also scored points in the 50 free with a 34.76.
 
Freshman Katherine Green (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) notched the next two wins for the Privateers with a 2:29.98 in the 200 individual medley, while following it up with a 1:06.22 in the 100 butterfly. Aaron was second in the individual medley with a 2:38.56, as Thompson was second for the Privateers in the fly with a 1:21.62.
 
Soulagnet recorded her second win of the night during the 100 freestyle with a 1:03.47, followed by Champlin with a 1:10.73. Junior Jessica Yee (Freehold, N.J./Freehold) was third for the team and fourth overall with a time of 1:20.00. Zink registered a win in the 100 backstroke, followed up by Davis picking up a win in the 500 freestyle followed by O'Brien as the pair was the only two in the pool during the event. Zink was second in the 100 breast, followed by freshman Maura Neely (Towson, Md./Maryvale Prep) who took third.
 
The night concluded with a three-second win in the 200 freestyle relay as O'Brien, Davis, Thompson and Green posted a time of 1:59.10, edging out the Bears who clocked in at 2:02.16.
 
Maritime's men's team coasted to another conference victory in their first-ever matchup with the newly formed Bears' men's swimming team. The opener saw junior Doug Russell (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) pair up with sophomores Lillo Rubino (Islip Terrace, N.Y./Central Islip), Nathanael Marino (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain) and Kevin Wu (Flushing, N.Y./Francis Lewis) for a convincing win with a 1:51.14.
 
Freshman Stephen Kelleher (Poughquag, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) notched a win in the first individual event of the night with an 11:13.45, senior Robert Lewis (Belchertown, Mass./Belchertown) was second with a 11:29.96, followed by sophomore Tristan DeYoung (Scarborough, Maine/Scarborough) with a 11:51.72 as the trio swept the podium. Fellow rookie Edwin Moriarty (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Island Lutheran) scored a win in the 200 freestyle with a 1:59.68, followed by sophomores Jesse Pierce (Broadway, Va./Broadway) and Shane Hoey (Bell Harbor, N.Y./St. Francis Prep).
 
Marino picked up the next Privateer win with a 23.82 in the 50 freestyle, while senior Sam Dratch (Montgomery, N.Y./Valley Central) was second with a 24.30, followed by junior James Conway (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) with a 25.13. Sophomore Christopher Chilelli (Bordentown, N.J./Bordentown Regional) was first to touch the wall with a 2:20.83 in the 200 individual medley, followed by freshmen Matthew Hart (Bayonne, N.J./St. Peter's Prep) and Ian Folan (Bethel, Conn./Notre Dame), who took second and third respectively.
 
Wu tallied an uncontested win in the 100 butterfly with a 56.61, followed by Lewis with a 59.34, and senior Charles Schnebel (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) with a 1:04.60 as the Privateers were the only entries in the event. In the 100 freestyle, Russell scored another win with a 52.67 in the 100 freestyle, while junior Andrew Katz (Greenlawn, N.Y./Glenn-Elwood) and sophomore Spencer Blass (Gaithersburg, Md./Quince Orchard) all finished in the top-three.
 
With a commanding lead, the men's team scored the remaining events as exhibitions as DeYoung finished first in the 500 freestyle with a 5:38.05, with freshman Adam Durrua (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant Beach) right behind with a 5:38.54. Folan notched a win in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:10.89 to close out the individual events for the men.
 
The Privateers entered four relay teams in the 200 freestyle relay, with the quartet of Marino, Russell, Moriarty and Wu picking up a time of 1:37.42, followed by Katz, Rubino, Dratch and senior Jonathan Murray (Long Beach, N.Y./Kellenberg) just a fraction off the pace with a 1:37.79.
 
The Maritime men (7-1, 5-1 Skyline) and women (5-5, 4-4 Skyline) will return to non-conference action on Thursday evening, when the Privateers host the Queens Knights and the York (N.Y.) Cardinals for a tri-meet that will include diving beginning at 6 p.m. from the Riesenberg Aquatic Center.