GRANTHAM, Pa. - Benjamin Holub opened the regular season with a sweep against Messiah, King's, and Hood in a noon splash.

The 155-37 win over Hood, the 138-65 win over King's, and the 131-70 win over Messiah sets the men's team at 3-0 in the regular season and conference rankings.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Widener opened the meet with a first-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. The team of Matthew Niro, Seth Phillips, Emmet Chandler, and Tyler Mantash touched the wall in 1:43.32 to get the Pride started on a high note. Widener's B relay, consisting of Michael Ford, Nicholas Christopher, Kirby Westerfield, and Colin Ergood, added a third-place finish in 1:46.37.

In the distance events, Michael Ford led the Pride in the 1,000-yard freestyle, finishing second in 11:27.67. Sean Lehan followed with a first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 1:49.61.

Mantash continued Widener's success in the sprint events, winning the 50-yard freestyle in 23.09. Zach Delgado added a fourth-place finish in 23.43, giving the Pride another strong showing in the event.

In the 200-yard individual medley, Ergood paced Widener with a third-place finish in 2:10.54. Phillips followed in fourth at 2:10.94, while Chandler finished sixth in 2:12.76.

Kirby Westerfield led the Pride in the 100-yard butterfly, finishing second in 56.37. Matthew Niro added a third-place finish in 56.82, while John Halloran placed fifth in 59.83.

Widener continued to put points on the board in the freestyle events. Lehan captured the 500-yard freestyle in 5:00.35, while Ergood added a second-place finish in 5:23.01. The Pride also secured three of the top five spots in the 100-yard freestyle, led by Delgado's second-place finish in 51.87 and Benjamin Holub's third-place time of 53.20.

In the 100-yard breaststroke, Phillips touched second in 1:06.80, followed closely by Chandler in third at 1:08.24. The Pride added another strong showing in the 100-yard backstroke, with Ford finishing third in 58.75 and Niro taking fourth in 59.68.

Widener closed the meet with another relay victory, as Mantash, Holub, Lehan, and Delgado combined for a first-place time of 1:33.78 in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The Pride's B relay, featuring Halloran, Christopher, Westerfield, and Noah Fedo, finished fourth in 1:36.76.

UP NEXT
Widener heads to Collegeville, Pa. on Halloween to face Ursinus in a 1 p.m. meet.