COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College women's swimming & diving team capped its dual-meet slate with a 163-113 victory over the State University of New York at Potsdam on Saturday in the Ross Sports Center natatorium during Senior Day, and men's first-year Pierce Farrington (Shelburne, Vt./Champlain Valley Union) broke four more school records.

With a triumph over the 2-3-1 Bears, the Purple Knight women finished the year 6-3, recording their highest win total since 2008-09 and matching their best victories mark since going 9-7 in 1996-97. The 1-7 Saint Michael's men led until the final event in a 149-144 setback against the 4-2 Bears, nearly snapping a five-meet losing streak to SUNY Potsdam.

Junior Julie Shea (Peabody, Mass./Peabody Veterans Memorial/Assumption) and sophomore Lindsay McNall (Colchester, Vt./Colchester) both won four events, with McNall also setting a school record. McNall won the 100-yard butterfly in 1:01.03, breaking her own season-old mark by 0.78 seconds, in addition to winning the 100-yard backstroke in 1:01.13 and the 200-yard individual medley at 2:20.70. McNall, Shea, and seniors Kim Brady (Morris Township, N.J./Academy of Saint Elizabeth) and Steph Nadow (Charlton, Mass./Saint Peter-Marian) won the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:54.48.

Shea was victorious in the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke events, clocking in at 32.69 and 1:11.94, respectively. During the 200-yard freestyle relay, she sided with Nadow, sophomore Katrina Wiesner (Bow, N.H./Bow) and first-year Katherine Lecce (Falls Church, Va./Saint Margaret's School) to win in 1:48.47. Nadow won the 50 back at 29.30, while Brady claimed the 50 free race in 26.13. Wiesner topped the 50 fly and 100 free fields in 29.43 and 57.30, respectively.

First-year Ally Fischang (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) won the 200 free in 2:05.79 and the 500 free at 5:41.59, followed by Brady in second. Brady was also the 100 free runner up, and Wiesner was second in the 50 free. First-year Betsy Portch (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) rounded out the victors, topping the 1,000 free race at 11:50.53. Portch joined senior Olivia Hamilton (Bourne, Mass./Bishop Stang), sophomore Cymantha Rogers (Swampscott, Mass./Swampscott) and first-year Sammy Sidorakis (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) to place second in the 200 free relay.

First-year Genevieve Gigandet (Groveland, Mass./Central Catholic) was second in both one-meter diving events, including while totaling 176.65 points in the second competition to come within 2.2 of the winner. Gigandet's point total also allowed her to qualify for next month's New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association (NEISDA) Championship. Rogers was second in the 100 breast, Sidorakis placed second in the 100 back, and junior Luci Franklin (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Lowell Whiteman School) touched the wall second during the 50 back.

Farrington broke three of his own program marks while setting a ninth school record on Saturday. He won each the 50 breast (27.59), 50 fly (23.90) and 100 free (47.78) races to eclipse standards that already belonged to him. While helping a 200 medley relay quartet take second, Farrington's 50 back leadoff leg of 24.86 bettered Sean Crowley's '97 prior mark of 24.94, set in 1995-96. The foursome was rounded out by senior Nathan Paluso (Windham, Maine/Windham) and first-years Joe Carroll (Andover, Mass./Andover) and Zach Kosakowski (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme).

Paluso won the 100 breast at 1:06.25 and the 200 free in 1:54.98, while Purple Knights claimed both one-meter diving events. Senior Joe Vo (Springfield, Mass./Cathedral) scored 128.75 points to top the first, followed by first-year Devin Davis (Ticonderoga, N.Y./Ticonderoga) 1.75 behind in second, and Davis scored 180.85 to win the second competition, qualifying for the NEISDA Championship in the process. The triumph was the first of Davis' career. Kosakowski was the runner up in the 50 and 100 back races, while sophomore Cam Thirkell (Tyngsboro, Mass./Tyngsboro) placed second in the 100 fly and 200 IM.

Saint Michael's led 140-136 heading into the final event, the 200 free relay. A victory would have clinched the meet win, but the Purple Knights' top foursome was 2.05 seconds shy of the champions from SUNY Potsdam. Paluso, sophomores Stephen Andersen (Concord, N.H./Concord) and Ryan Butler (Waltham, Mass./Waltham) and first-year Jacek Deptula (Haskell, N.J./Paramus Catholic) combined for the runner-up showing.

The Purple Knights' eight seniors were honored prior to their final collegiate home meet: Brady, Hamilton, Nadow, Paluso, Vo, Emily Asch (Williston, Vt./Champlain Valley Union), Hillary Miller (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Plattsburgh) and Nick Youmans (Mountainside, N.J./Governor Livingston).

With its dual-meet slate complete, Saint Michael's now focuses on a pair of championship meets in February. The Purple and Gold first heads to the Northeast-10 Conference Championship at Southern Connecticut State University from Feb. 5-8.