Men's Swimming and Diving begins its season on Saturday inside Jacobs Pool against Boston University

Saturday, October 12

Bethlehem, Pa.

1:00 p.m.

Lehigh University

Boston University

Men's Swimming and Diving begins its season on Saturday inside Jacobs Pool against Boston University

10/10/2019 1:17:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – With the preseason coming to an end, the 2019-20 Lehigh Men's Swimming & Diving season is upon us. This Saturday, the Mountain Hawks will open their season inside Jacobs Pool as they host the Terriers of Boston University.

Last year, Lehigh racked up six dual meet victories, while finishing 3-2 in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks finished fifth at the Patriot League Championships. The fifth-place finish was an improvement from the previous season in which they finished sixth.

Over the summer, head coach Rob Herb announced that Walker Wilson and Tyler Christ will be captains this year. Looking to continue its steady trend of improvement, Wilson and Christ will be guided the task of leading this talented team.

"I think the vision is very clear," stated Herb. "Walker and Tyler have been through the fire, and they know it takes to be successful here at Lehigh. The guidance that we need from them is paramount."

Wilson, the Richmond native is coming off back-to-back seasons in which he was named Second Team All-Patriot League. Christ currently holds two school records as part of the 200 and 400 medley relays.

Looking to build upon last year's finish, the Brown and White went to work immediately. "We did a lot of strength work over the summer" Herb said. "The expectations are always high here! We do have high hopes, we lost very few points from last year."

The hard work that was put in over the offseason finally showed three weeks ago. At their annual Brown and White Meet, the Mountain Hawks broke four records from previous outings of the Brown and White Meet.

Taking the next step, that is one thing that Herb preached to his team. Kevin Fleck is expected to be relied upon this year. The senior registered a fourth-place finish in the 1650 freestyle at the PLC last year.

After winning Most Improved Swimmer at the team banquet, Joe Huber is looking to keep improving to one of the top male swimmers on the team. Huber concluded his sophomore season by becoming Lehigh's first-ever ECAC Champion in the 200 backstroke with his winning time of 1:49.43.

Diver Tyler Keller returns after a stellar 2018-19 season. The junior scored his highest mark in the one-meter dive against Lafayette with a 297.31 to finish first. He also scored a 301.45 on the three-meter dive in the preliminary round at the Patriot League Championship with a fourth-place finish. Keller had four first-place finishes in the one-meter dive throughout eight meets.

Lehigh will bring on seven first-year athletes to the team this year. "We are so excited to welcome this incredible group of student-athletes. They are tough, smart and ready to take their lives to the next level."

The Mountain Hawks are also expecting big things from sophomore Glenn Lasco. The sophomore was awarded Freshman of the Year by his team after claiming school records in the 100 individual medley, as well as the 100 backstroke. Lasco also notched four freshman records in separate events.

The Brown and White are expected to rely on newcomers Caleb Eberly and Nick Highman to fill some gaps in certain races.

Lehigh does have a favorable schedule this year, while hosting more events inside Jacobs Pool this year than prior years. "We have a challenging schedule, but we have an extra home meet. I expect our fans to help give us an advantage this year and cheer us on all season."

Last season, Lehigh opened its season at Boston and dropped a close contest to the Terriers, 162-144. "We lost to Boston last year. This year, we are a better team, they want it. I would like to see everyone step up, it's step-up weekend."

Saturday's contest with Boston University is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. inside Jacobs Pool. Lehigh will look for its first win over Boston in program history. The Terriers lead the all-team series, 5-0.