Seniors Shine as Men’s Swimming Dominates Brown in Thrilling Victory

NEW YORK — The Columbia men’s swimming and diving squad returned to the water for the first time in 2025 on Saturday afternoon at Uris Natatorium, securing a significant victory over Brown with a score of 165.5-134.5. On a day celebrating the program’s 125th anniversary and honoring its seven seniors, this triumph made the occasion even more special. 

“It was a really good day for us,” Head Coach Jim Bolster expressed. “I was quite anxious going in, considering everything taking place this weekend with the program, that the team might have exerted too much energy. I anticipated a lot of emotions, and it happened that they rose to the occasion and delivered an outstanding performance with some great races.”

The day’s first swimming event was a remarkable one for the Lions, as the 200-medley relay team, featuring Isaac Beers, Demirkan Demir, Brian Lee, and Zion James, captured first place with a time of 1:29.28.

In the opening individual swimming competition of the day, Stephen Zhukov clinched first in the 1000 free with a finish of 9:14.75. Zach Vasser closely followed him, finishing second at 9:20.72. 

Adam Wu continued the momentum with a win in the 200 free, registering a time of 1:36.73. Later, Wu added another victory in the 200 fly, stopping the clock at 1:47.28. He capped off an exceptional afternoon with a win in the 500 free, finishing in 4:31.13.

Beers claimed a victory in the 100 back, reaching the wall in 50.48. 

The Lions achieved a 1-2 finish in the 50 free, with Samuel Eckert leading the pack at 20.36. Just three tenths of a second later, James finished in 20.66. 

Lee secured the victory in the 100 fly, clocking in at 48.56, nearly sealing Columbia’s win. 

The 400 free relay team sealed the triumph with a first-place finish as the quartet of Wu, Eckert, Gian Santos, and James completed the race at 2:59.27.

For the divers, Will Cooley led on the 3m board, finishing third with a score of 305.25. In the 1m competition, Joseph Nicol achieved the highest placement for Columbia, securing third with a score of 295.73. 

On Senior Day, Demir not only participated in two relay victories but also concluded his final meet at Uris, finishing second in the 100 breast and third in the 200 breast. Andrew Fouty took second in the 100 fly during his last home meet. Tristan Pragnell secured third in the 100 back.  Caleb Apodaca, Logan Cicman, and Jack Engel also showcased strong performances. 

“All the seniors swam admirably and enjoyed themselves immensely,” Bolster noted. “They were somewhat in awe of the alumni turnout, and they elevated their performance significantly. Swimming is a challenging sport, and they concluded this chapter of their lives on a high note today.”

Complete results from the meet, including all of the Lions’ top performers and times, can be accessed HERE.

Columbia will return to action on Saturday, January 18 against Cornell in the first of three away meets to wrap up the season. The event will commence at 1 p.m.

 

For the most recent updates on the Columbia men’s swimming and diving program, follow @CULionsMSD and @CULionsDiving on Instagram and Twitter, and visit the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.