Rowan men’s swimming opened up their meet season on Saturday with a 140.5-121.5 win over the Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks 140.5-121.5 at Tony Lisa Natatorium.

Stevens kept it close throughout the first half of the meet before Rowan regrouped and pulled away at the end. Head coach Brad Bowser felt it was a good starting point for the young Profs team.

“It was a good win, I saw a lot of positives out of the whole meet,” Bowser said. “I think the guys got together during the first break and really hammered down on the fact that we gotta win this thing, and they really stepped up.”

Junior Braden Sheehan led the way for the Profs. Fresh off a trip to Nationals last season, Sheehan looked as strong as ever as he looks to lead the Profs into a new era after losing multiple key contributors to graduation. Sheehan won the 100 free and 200 free events individually, and his efforts earned him New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Swimmer of the Week honors.

Sheehan also teamed up with Joshua Oliveira, J.T. Lakso, and Kristian Werner to win the 200 free relay. Lasko and Oliviera are both underclassmen who will be important to keep an eye on as the season progresses, and Werner is a key senior who brings experience to the team.

However, the underclassmen who stole the show during the meet were freshman Benjamin Hadadd, who took first in the 200 fly. Hadadd’s performance earned him NJAC Rookie of the Week honors, giving men’s swimming a clean sweep in this week’s NJAC Weekly Honors.

Bowser felt one of the key things he’s noticed early in the season is how the freshman can set the pace for the upperclassmen during some practices.

“They’re taking the lead in some of these early practices,” Bowser said. “They’re the upfront guys, the upfield guys, and they’re either chasing the younger guys or the younger guys are chasing them.”

Junior Gavin Danze won the 1000 free with sophomore Julian Huynh right behind, finishing second. Oliveira also tied for first in the 100 fly. 

The Team will head to Montclair, New Jersey, on Friday, Oct. 17, for a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) clash with the Montclair State University Red Hawks.

“What’s different about us this year compared to previous years is that we don’t have that sure-star power we’ve had in the past,” Bowser said. “We just have to adjust that, groom that, and get somebody to step up. It’ll be interesting to see how the sophomores step up this weekend. I think that group is the next in line for who’s going to be the next big swimmer that Rowan has.”

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