VESTAL, N.Y. – The Cornell men's swimming and diving team opened its 2021-22 dual season with a victory and capped it off in winning fashion as well, beating Binghamton, 153-90, on Sunday afternoon at the Patricia A. Saunders Aquatic Center.

The Big Red won nine of the possible 13 events en route to victory, remaining unbeaten against the Bearcats all-time with a perfect 16-0 record dating back to 1999-00. Just as impressive, Cornell handed Binghamton its first home loss of the season, dropping the Bearcats to 6-3 on the year and 4-1 at the Patricia A. Saunders Aquatic Center.

Cornell's meet-wide success stemmed from dominance in the IM events, as the Big Red swept the podium in the 400 IM while winning the 200 IM as well. Ricardo Martinez headlined the 1-2-3 sweep in the 400 IM, winning the race in 4:06.53. Jack Valiquette (4:09.15) and Dominic Edwards (4:13.52) followed Martinez in second and third, respectively. Paige daCosta secured the Big Red win in the 200 IM, touching the wall first in 1:52.77.

The Big Red also claimed the top-two spots in two additional races on Sunday, including the 100 backstroke and 500 freestyle. Van Cates emerged victorious in the 100 backstroke (50.59), with Jacob Bass placing one spot behind in second (50.78). Joseph Gurski was the first to finish the 500 freestyle race (4:33.02), with Vlad Gilszmer finishing second in 4:39.77.

Cornell's divers were just as successful, as the Big Red won both diving disciplines. Soodong Kim won the 1-meter competition with 287.40 points, while Jameson Crandell surpassed the 300-point mark in the 3-meter (324.23) on his way to victory.

Competing in a freestyle race much shorter than what he is accustomed to, no one could tell the difference, as Jake Lawson won the 100 freestyle with a time of 46.74. Sebastian Wolff also picked up a win for Cornell, clocking in first in the 100 butterfly (49.63).

The Big Red capped off its team win in style, as the group of Wolff, Lawson, Pearce Bailey, and Ian Mackey won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:24.02.

Cornell's meet against Binghamton wraps up the 2021-22 dual season for the Big Red. The Cornell divers will be in action next week when the Big Red hosts the Big Red Diving Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. at the Teagle Pool in Ithaca. Beyond that, Cornell has its sights set on the 2022 Ivy League Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, slated for Feb. 23-26 in Princeton, N.J.