Aaron Lutzker Sets Axelrood Record, But CMS Swimming and Diving Falls to Pomona-Pitzer

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Senior Aaron Lutzker captured the 200-yard breaststroke in an Axelrood Pool-record 2:03.19, and junior Dave Makhervaks (100 back) and freshman Matthew Waddell (200 fly) added individual wins, but the No. 12 CMS men's swimming and diving team fell to No. 10 Pomona-Pitzer in a two-day meet by a final of 203.5-149.5.

With the loss, CMS is now 3-4 overall in dual competition and 3-1 in the SCIAC, although the four losses have come to three teams ranked in the top 10 (WashU, Chicago and Pomona-Pitzer) and a team in transition to Division I (UC San Diego). 

CMS came into the day needing to make up a 20-point deficit after Friday's action, and fell into a further hole after the Sagehens finished 1-2 in the one-meter diving event, and then took narrow wins in the 200-yard medley relay and the 400 IM. Makhervaks gave the Stags their first win of the day in the 100 back finishing in 51.22, while freshman Nicholas Tan (51.87) and senior John Jeang (52.37) finished third and fourth. 

Sophomore Andreas Roeseler nearly had a dramatic comeback in the 200-yard freestyle after trailing by a body length midway through, but came up just short at the wall to Pomona-Pitzer's Will Abele 1:42.06 to 1:42.17. Sophomore Marco Conati was a close second in the 100 fly (49.02 to a 48.65 from Pomona-Pitzer's Ryan Drover) as both swimmers passed the old Axelrood Pool record. The 100 free saw CMS finish in the 2-3-4 spots with Conati again passing the old pool record (45.95) with a 45.54, but coming in second to Pomona-Pitzer's Lukas Menkhoff (44.70).

Lutzker's 2:03.19 set a new Axelrood standard for the Stags and started a 1-2-3-4 finish in the best event of the meet for CMS. After Lutzker touched the wall, junior Henry Limm (who held the previous pool record), sophomore Sean Hoerger and senior Tyler Welty came in second through fourth place.

Waddell then earned the final individual win of the meet for the Stags in the 200 fly, winning by a wide margin of 1.62 seconds over Abele (1:52.13 to 1:53.75), with senior John Everett coming in third. Freshman Michael Lee was second in the 1650 in 16:16.07, passing the old pool mark of 16:17.42, but Pomona-Pitzer's Paddy Baylis shattered the record in under 16 minutes, finishing in 15:56.77. 

CMS will now have a month off before returning to the pool after the new year, when the distance swimmers head to Cal Baptist on Jan. 4 and the divers host Westminster on Jan. 6. The next full meet for CMS will be on Saturday, Jan. 12 when it heads to Whittier for a 12 p.m. SCIAC dual.