WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's and men's swim teams won 20 of 24 individual events in sweeping the University of Saint Joseph Friday evening at Bruyette Natatorium.
 
For the men, first-year swimmer Joseph Sylvester (Morris) broke two backstroke and one freestyle records as the Warriors (4-1) won eight consecutive events (nine in all) to survive against Saint Joseph (5-2), 133-129. The Blue Jays kept it close by totaling 18 points in two uncontested diving events.
 
For the Eastern women (5-2), seven different swimmers combined for 11 firsts in 12 individual events in a 178-92 rout.
 
First-year swimmer Allison Ronan (Northbridge, MA) won three events for the women and sophomores Jillian Norbut (Bristol) and Lindsay Weaver (Newington) each won two. Senior Kerry-Rose Buchanan (Southington) and first-year sophomore Maya Brody (East Granby) both won one event and both swam a leg of both winning relays.
 
Having already broken the 500 freestyle record earlier this year, Sylvester added the 1000 record to his resume with a winning time of 11:12.25 in his first attempt at that distance. He also broke his own 50 backstroke record with a time of 27.57 on the opening leg of the 200 medley relay which opened the meet, and later in the meet trimmed the previous 100 backstroke record by less than a second with a time of 59.25.
 
Sophomore Connor Scully (Oxford) and first-year swimmer Ben D'Addario (Fairfield) each won three events. Scully won the 50 (31.21) and 100 (1:08.34) breaststroke and the 50 freestyle (24.51) and D'Addario the 50 (26.04) and 100 (57.31) butterfly and 100 freestyle (51.07). In addition to the 1000 freestyle, Sylvester captured the 200 individual medley (2:13.70), while  sophomore Drew Cavar (Vernon) was the individual winner in the 500 freestyle (5:42.47).
 
The men led throughout most of the race but fell behind by a point after the fourth event, after the Blue Jays collected 14 points in the 50 backstroke. The Warriors re-gained the lead by a point when Scully won the 50 breaststroke, extended the lead to 11 when D'Addario and sophomore Elliot Anderson (Goffstown, NH) went 1-2 in the 100 butterfly and pushed their lead to 18 points when Scully and first-year swimmer Connor Rego (Winsted) went 1-3 in the 50 freestyle, with first-year sophomore Jae Pinilla-O'Dea (Madison) adding another point in that event with a fifth-place finish.
 
In the first dual meeting between the men's programs in 2019-20, USJ had swamped the first-year Warriors, 143-47, at the Sports Center pool and had also finished ahead of Eastern this year by slim margins at the opening USJ Pentathlon in late October and at the Connecticut Cup in early December.
 
The depth of the Eastern women provided the Warriors with their 39^th dual-meet victory over USJ (4-5) in 41 career meetings.
 
Ronan claimed the 50 (30.54) and 100 (1:05.28) backstroke events and the 200 IM (2:28.09); Norbut was the individual winner in the 200 (2:18.61) and 500 (6:13.59) freestyle and Weaver captured the 100 butterfly (1:03.97) and 100 freestyle (59.89). In addition to contributing to both winning relays, Buchanan won the 100 breaststroke (1:18.31) and Brody the 50 butterfly (28.54). Adding one individual victory each were junior Jordan Allen (Westerly, RI) and sophomore Kelly Schneider (Portland). Allen won the 50 breaststroke (36.62) and Schneider the 50 freestyle (28.04), the latter swimmer also claiming a pair of seconds.
 
The women swept the top three places and all 16 points in the fifth event of the evening – the 200 freestyle. Behind Norbut in that race were first-year swimmers Jenna Morin (Waterford) and Zoe Pascual (Danbury). In the meet, Eastern also went 1-2 in the 50, 500 and 1000 freestyle, 50 backstroke, and 50 and 100 butterfly.
 
The Eastern men and women return to action 18 hours after sweeping USJ, visiting Roger Williams University Saturday at noon in a meet which includes Babson College. The Warriors close out the regular season Feb. 5 with a Senior Day meet with Bridgewater State University and Gordon College at the Sports Center pool before closing out the year at the Little East Conference Championships Feb. 20-22 at the Boston Sports Institute.