SALISBURY, Md. – The highest-ranked meet ever held at Maggs Pool lived up to its billing on Saturday afternoon as the 13th-ranked Salisbury University men's swimming team earned a historic 144-118 victory over the 14th-ranked TCNJ Lions, its first-ever dual-meet win against the perennial New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) powerhouse.
The victory was SU's first in four tries against the Lions since joining the NJAC in 2023-24. TCNJ had won three straight dual meets, but the Sea Gulls closed the gap each time (173-89, 172-90, 154-108) before overtaking their rivals on Saturday.
MEET NOTES
- Cameron Byrd won four gold medals on the day, taking the 100-meter butterfly (55.42) and the 200 fly on a personal-best 2:06.87, while also swimming the fly leg on the winning 200 medley relay (24.23) and a 51.05 split on the winning 400 free relay.
- Owen Mahoney won both the 400 free (4:10.99) and 800 free (8:38.89); he also led off a third-place 400 free relay with a personal-best 53.55 split.
- Matt Merke gave Salisbury a 1-2 finish in both distance events, placing second to Mahoney in the 400 free (4:13.43) and 800 free (8:43.37), and added a fourth-place finish in the 200 individual medley (2:13.50).
- Aidan Loehr won the 100 breaststroke in a personal-best 1:03.53 and swam the breaststroke leg on the winning medley relay (27.98).
- Owen Brewer collected four medals, anchoring both winning relays (22.99 on the medley, 51.81 on the 400 free relay) and taking silver in both the 50 free (personal-best 23.82) and 100 free (52.43).
- Nick Stratton hauled in one of each medal, taking gold in the 400 free relay (52.68 split), silver in the 200 free (1:55.10), and bronze anchoring the 200 medley relay (23.59 split).
- Salisbury opened the meet on a high note by winning the 200 medley relay in 1:41.84, as the A-side of Mason Potts, Loehr, Byrd, and Brewer touched three quarters of a second ahead of the runner-up Lion A-team.
- Competing with lineups constructed just minutes before the event, the Sea Gulls rose to the moment to win the 400 free relay and clinch the meet. Shane Hall, Stratton, Byrd, and Brewer formed the A-quartet and posted a 3:28.25; Brewer touched the wall just seven hundredths of a second ahead of his TCNJ, setting off a flashbang from his teammates and the crowd at a jam-packed Maggs Pool.
- In total, the Gulls collected 26 medals, including seven gold, nine silver, and 10 bronze.
Following an idle weekend, the Sea Gulls will seek a third consecutive Yellow Jacket Invitational title at the Hampton Aquaplex in Virginia. The three-day meet will begin on Friday, Nov. 20, with the first round of prelims set for 12 p.m.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 26 individual national championships, and 213 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
