CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – It was a podium-filled day for the Towson University men's swimming and diving team as the Tigers saw a new Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship and overall record reset at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center.

Sophomore Brian Benzing successfully defended his 100-yard breaststroke title, setting a new Towson, CAA and CAA Championship meet record with a 52.34 seconds, extending his unbeaten streak in the event to a dozen.

Towson also picked up a gold medal in the men's 200-yard freestyle relay as Benzing, Michael Fazio, Luke Schwar and Ryan Baldino defended last year's top finish with a time of 1:19.03, winning by half a second thanks to Baldino's closing speed.

Overall, Towson moved up to second place in the team standings with 439.50 points. UNCW leads the mens' championship with 647.50 points. Delaware sits in third with 406.50 points while Drexel is fourth at 406. William & Mary is fifth with 217.50 points.

How it Happened

• Towson picked up its first medal of the day as senior Nick McClure took third in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 47.96. Evan Bota finished third in the consolation finals with a time of 49.19.
• In the 400-yard individual medley, Patrick Flint finished fourth overall, timing a 3:57.39. Ryan Bookstein was eighth in the event in 4:01.44.
• Another medal was added to the total as Baldino finished third overall in the 200-yard freestyle, clocking a 1:37.61. It was one of the tightest races of the day with just three-tenths of a second between first place and Baldino's third. Michael Fazio took fifth in 1:38.20.
• In the consolation finals for 200-yard freestyle, Schwar won the heat in 1:38.33 while Brendan Farrar was third in the B Finals in 1:40.98.
• The next event saw Benzing defend his title and improving his NCAA B Cut time to 52.34. He edged out a late charge from Delaware's Toni Sabev, who touched in 52.53. The top four racers all hit NCAA B Cuts, but fell to Benzing's new record.
• Noah Diacumakos finished eight with a 55.64.
• Bota tied for fourth in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 48.90, drawing even with Delaware's Gavin Currie. McClure was close behind in fifth with a 48.97.
• Ajani Dorner finished fourth in the 3-meter diving finals, scoring a 263.95.
• The Tigers capped the night on the top spot as the 200-yard relay team out-lasted the field with a time of 1:19.03, a half-second win over the quad from UNCW.

Up Next for Towson

• The Tigers will look to close the gap to UNCW in the final day of action at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center.
• Saturday's program begins at 10 a.m. for preliminaries, followed by finals at 6 p.m.
• The final day of action will feature the 200-yard backstroke, the 100-yard freestyle, the 200-yard breaststroke, the 200-yard butterfly and the 1,650-yard freestyle.
• The 2022 championships conclude with the 400-yard freestyle relay, following the women's 1-meter diving finals.
• All action will be carried on FloSwimming.