DANBURY, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's and men's swimming teams combined to win 12 of 22 individual events and all four relays Monday afternoon at the WestConn Natatorium on the Western Connecticut State University campus.
 
The Eastern women (7-3) swept host Western Connecticut (3-8), 140-40, and Rhode Island College (1-6), 148-47, while the Eastern men (5-2) downed Western Connecticut (7-2), 127-64. Rhode Island College does not have a men's team.
 
In the midst of an eight-day stretch of four meets leading up to the Little East Conference Championships Feb. 17-19, the Eastern women got seven first-place finishes Monday from five different swimmers and the men featured five firsts from four different swimmers.
 
In view of the grueling eight-day stretch which began this past Saturday at home against Keene State College, only one Eastern swimmer competed in more than two individual events Monday.
 
In 13 events, the Eastern men claimed at least two of the top three spots nine times and the women seven times.
 
For the men, sophomore Joseph Sylvester (Morris) broke the fifth program record of his career with a winning time of 2:08.97 in the 200 backstroke. Sylvester also owns records in all three distance freestyle events and in the 400 individual medley.
 
In addition to the 200 backstroke, Sylvester also touched first in the 1000 freestyle (11:23.64). Also swimming to first-place finishes for the men were junior Nathan Melia (Manchester) and sophomores Ben D'Addario (Fairfield) and Connor Rego (Winsted). Melia won the 200 freestyle (2:00.04), D'Addario the 100 freestyle (52.05) and Rego the 200 IM (2:09.61). Rego was last week's Little East Swimmer-of-the-Week after winning three individual events (breaking the 100 IM record in the process) Saturday against Keene.
 
WestConn freshman Evan Shopbell, a five-time LEC Rookie-of-the-Week, won the 50 freestyle, 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke ahead of D'Addario, Rego and first-year swimmer Sam Hurlburt (Meriden), respectively.
 
For the women, junior Nancy Scanlon (West Hartford) and sophomore Allison Ronan (Northbridge, MA) each were double winners, with junior Kelly Schneider (Portland), sophomore Maya Brody (East Granby) and first-year swimmer Natasha Frisch (Mendota Heights, MN) each winning once.
 
Scanlon captured the 200 IM (2:29.89) and 200 butterfly (2:29.56), Ronan the 200 freestyle (2:09.92) and 200 backstroke (2:24.81), Schneider the 100 freestyle (1:00.39), Brody the 50 freestyle (26.30) and Frisch the 200 breaststroke (2:45.16).
 
Eastern hosts the University of Saint Joseph Friday at 5 p.m. and closes out the regular season the following day at Roger Williams University with Babson College.