BRADFORD, Pa.—The William Smith swimming & diving team opened its 2026-27 season with a dominant 157-25 win over Pitt-Bradford this afternoon. With the win, the Herons improved to 1-0 on the season, while the Panthers fall to 0-3 on the season.
William Smith opened the season with a dominant performance in the 200-yard medley relay, securing first and second place in the event. First-year Avery Hemmat, juniors Kaleigh Boynton and Amalia Olivieri and senior Mackenzie Morus secured first after touching the wall at 2:00.45. Juniors Boglarka Olah and Jenna Flihan as well as senior Zoe Neiderbach and sophomore Lark Sallade followed close behind, finishing second with a time of 2:02.37.
Olivieri led the Herons with two individual first place finishes at Pitt-Bradford. She swam to a first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle (2:11.23) and the 100-yard freestyle (58.44). In the 200-yard free, senior Jayne Pearson secured second after touching the wall at 2:15.17. In the 100-yard free, senior Emma Haher secured second with a time of 1:02.93, while classmate Tiernee Brandes followed close behind in third, stopping the clock at 1:05.29.
Junior Aurora Donta-Venman added two wins as well, swimming to first place finishes in the 1,000-yard free (11:40.50) and 500-yard free (5:42.56). Her time of 11:40.50 in the 1,000-yard free was a personal best. In the 500-yard free, Pearson placed second with a time of 6:06.86, while Neiderbach finished in third (6:22.37).
In the 200-yard individual medley, William Smith secured all top three finishers. Senior Mackenzie Morus led the way with a first-place finish (2:20.58), while Sallade followed close behind in second (2:28.01). Sophomore Sofia Ciereck rounded out the top three with a time of 2:34.22. The Herons also secured top three finishes in the 100-yard butterfly as Sallade secured the win with a time of 1:06.27. First-year's Dylan Percassi (1:09.88) and Annie Huxtable (1:11.66) finished second and third, respectively.
William Smith put on an impressive performance in the 100-yard breaststroke, securing crucial points with top three finishes. Flihan led the Herons in first with a time of 1:16.22, while Boynton followed in second after touching the wall at 1:16.39. Senior Bria Romano finished third with a time of 1:29.27. William Smith also finished top three in the 100-yard backstroke after Olah finished first (1:06.70), Hemmat finished second (1:08.19) and Ciereck finished third (1:09.22).
The Heron relay teams put on a dominant performance in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing first, second and third against the Panthers. Morus, Pearson, Hemmat and Flihan secured first with a time od 1:53.66, while Boynton, Olah, Donta-Venman and Haher finished second after stopping the clock at 1:57.75. Brandes, Neiderbach, Percassi and Romano rounded out the top three with a time of 2:03.67.
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Friday, Oct. 30, when it travels to Alfred for a non-conference meet. Action between the Herons and the Saxons is set for 4 p.m.
