NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – The TCNJ men's swimming and diving team continued a record-breaking weekend at the 2023 Metropolitan Conference Championships as three school records and two meet records fell on Saturday evening.

The Lions began the finals session with a bang, as the Lions relay team of Andrew Kidcob, Ryan VanDeVeen, Richard Park and James McChesney broke the school record in the 200 Medley Relay with a blistering time of 1:29.26. The previous school relay record was set in the 2020 season.

Sophomore Ryan Higgins led the pack as the Lions swept the A-Finals of the 400 IM. The sophomore's winning time of 3:54.46 snapped two separate records, not only setting a new championship meet record but also snapping his own TCNJ school record set earlier in the season.

Finishing behind him in second, freshman Gavin Formon continued his stellar first appearance at the METs championships with the third-fastest time in program history at 3:57.86. Rounding out the top three was senior Conrad Hoody who clocked in at 4:04.93. Sophomore Jonah Herring earned a fourth-place finish with a personal-best time of 4:06.33

A day after snapping his own 50 freestyle school record, James McChesney broke another individual freestyle record as he shot past Stephen Tarnowski's 2014 Lions record for the 200 free. With his time of 1:36.52, the star junior also hit the Division III 'A-Cut' mark to clinch an automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA DIII Championship in Greensboro, N.C. The performance marked the second METs championship record broken by the Lions.

Taking second place behind McChesney was sophomore Lukas Blach, who swam the ninth-fastest time in Lions history after clocking in at 1:40.07. Finishing fifth and sixth were freshman Brian Bull and senior Matt Watts with times of 1:41.73 and 1:42.54, respectively. Bull's time represented a new career-best.

On the board, the Lions took the top two spots for the 3 meter 11-dive. Ethan Weiss took gold with a score of 475.50, and fellow sophomore Michael Wu followed right behind him in second with a score of 464.35. Placing in eighth was Wyatt Marble with a score of 319.15.

In the 100 breast, Ryan VanDeVeen won the event in a nail-biting final lap that saw the sophomore outkick Montclair State's Spenser Dubois and Rowan's Michael Fracchiolla with a time of 55.05. The mark stands as the second-fastest in TCNJ history, and hit the 'B-Cut' qualifying mark.

Fellow sophomore Shawn Kushner and senior Patrick Sullivan rounded out the top-five in the event with season-best times of 56.22 and 56.41, respectively.

Star freshman Andrew Kidchob continued his stellar perforamnces in the pool with a third place finish in the 100 Fly with time of 49.84, the sixth-fastest in program history. Fellow freshman Richard Park finished sixth with a time of 50.60.

Closing out the evening in the 100 Back, Kidchob earned his second top-three finish by placing as the runner-up with a time of 50.37. Placing in fourth behind him, Herring clocked a time of 51.68.

The Lions ended the preliminary session in the pool with 15 A-Final qualifiers and five B-Final qualifiers in a dominant first session of the day.

The Lions will resume competition in the pool tomorrow with prelims set to begin at 9:30 am and the finals session starting later in the day at 5:30 pm. Events in the pool are the 1650 Free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, and 200 Fly. The annual Senior Walk will take place at 5:20 pm.