Men’s Swimming Places Third In Championships
By Owen Russell
The men’s swimming team took their final dip in the pool two weekends ago, on Jan. 27 through Jan. 29 in the CUNYAC Swimming and Diving Championships. The Bulldogs concluded the three-day competition by securing third place out of four teams. Baruch dominated the event winning first place, Lehman finished second, and York placed behind Brooklyn in fourth.
Brooklyn’s strongest swimmer on day one was Ronaldo Barrios, who competed in the grueling 500-yard freestyle. With a time of 6:06, Barrios beat his seed time of 6:46 by 40 seconds and secured seven crucial points for the Bulldogs. Beyond Barrios, Max Bratkovsky scored five points for Brooklyn, finishing fourth in the 50-yard freestyle. Christian Hoyek also added to the Bulldogs’ total scoring six points in the 200-yard IM, placing third.
Brooklyn’s usual suspects continued to contribute on day two. Both Barrios and Hoyek had strong showings in their respective events. In the 100-yard breaststroke, Barrios barely eked out third place with a time of 1:11:02, less than a second faster than the fourth-place time. Hoyek swam 1:57 in the 200-yard freestyle, placing second overall.
Day three, the third and final day of the CUNYAC Championship proved to be much of the same for Barrios and Hoyek. Fatigue stood no chance, as both swimmers continued to own the pool. Hoyek swam the absurdly long 1650-yard freestyle in 21:39, securing second place. Barrios also earned himself a silver medal, placing second in the 200-yard breaststroke. He finished with a time of 2:34.
With all said and done, Brooklyn accumulated 79 points, crowning them as a distant third. The Bulldogs will return to the pool next season, looking to place higher on the podium.
Women’s Swimming Ends Season With Last Place
By Owen Russell
The women’s swimming season has officially ended with a last-place finish at the CUNYAC Championships. The Bulldogs doggy-paddled their way to fifth place. Hunter drowned the competition by taking first place, Baruch took second, John Jay came third, and Lehman placed fourth. Brooklyn failed to make much noise as a team, but there were a few positive performances sprinkled throughout the weekend.
On day one, Anastasia Kutuzova finished third in the 200-yard IM. She swam a 2:19 and scored six points for the Bulldogs. Brooklyn’s second scorer of the day was Julie Huang, who placed sixth in the 50-yard freestyle and earned three points.
Kutuzova and Huang remained Brooklyn’s top scorers on day two. Huang placed fifth in the 100-yard backstroke. Kutuzova placed second in the 100-yard breaststroke, falling only five milliseconds short of the event’s 1:11:10 winning time. Both swimmers fought valiantly against the deeper teams like Hunter and Baruch.
Kutuzova earned her second silver medal in the championship on day three. In the 200-yard breaststroke, Kutuzova swam an impressive 2:39:01. Besides Kutuzova’s placement, no other woman made the podium on day three for the Bulldogs. The team ended the event with 50 points overall, 29 behind the nearest team.
Brooklyn drains the pool on a tough 2022-23 season. Next season, they’ll be out to avenge their last-place finish.
Men’s Basketball Keeps Losing
By Owen Russell
The men’s basketball team stumbled yet again this week, losing their one game against John Jay on Jan. 31.
The Bulldogs were no match for the Bloodhounds. John Jay battered Brooklyn in the game’s first half. While the Bloodhounds shot 46% from the field, Brooklyn could not keep up. The Bulldogs made 22% from the field, adding only two three-pointers on 12 attempts. The halftime score was 31 for John Jay, and 19 for Brooklyn. The second half became much closer. The Bulldogs rallied, shooting 50% from the field and scoring 40 points. Still, Brooklyn could not stop the Bloodhounds on defense. John Jay scored 42 second-half points, sinking 55% of their shots. The buzzer sounded the Bulldogs’ seventh consecutive loss. Kayin Olajide led the way for Brooklyn, scoring 20 points.
Time is ticking down for the Bulldogs. Four games remain before the playoffs and Brooklyn looks cold. Can the Bulldogs turn it around and make a Cinderella run in the CUNYAC? Or will midnight strike sooner than expected?
Women’s Basketball Earns Another Win
By Owen Russell
The wins keep coming for the women’s basketball team. Nine victories in a row to be precise. Brooklyn notched their ninth straight win in their only game this past week against John Jay on Jan. 31.
The Bulldogs did what they do best: score the ball. Brooklyn scored 74 points, their 15th time this season scoring more than 70. A large chunk of that score came from senior guard Gianna Gotti, who continues to be Brooklyn’s standout star. Against John Jay, she scored 38 points on 57% shooting. She also swiped eight steals and dished seven assists. Gotti lit up the box score, helping suppress a late challenge by the Bloodhounds. John Jay outscored Brooklyn in the second half but remained unable to catch up with the Bulldogs.
Brooklyn looks unbeatable. The Bulldogs continue to blaze a trail through the CUNYAC, seemingly refusing to lose. With four games remaining, will anyone stop Brooklyn?
Men’s Volleyball Scores Two Wins, One Loss
By Owen Russell
The men’s volleyball team flipped the script this week, winning two of their three games after starting the season 1-2.
Brooklyn’s first test came on Jan. 28 at the Widener tri-match in Chester, Pennsylvania. Brooklyn’s first match of the day, against Union County College, proved to be a tight three-game sweep. The Bulldogs won all three sets, but it was close (25-19, 25-18, 25-21). Brooklyn refused to buckle, dominating Union in the box score. The Bulldogs outplayed the Owls, scoring 37 kills compared to Union’s 15. Helping lead the way was junior outside hitter, Zhao Ming Li, scoring 12 kills and one ace to help topple the Owls.
Brooklyn’s second contest of the day, against host Widener University, did not sail as smoothly. The Bulldogs suffered a blow in the first set, losing 25-8. From there, Brooklyn improved slightly, but still lost the following two sets (25-14, 25-18). Unlike their match against Union, Brooklyn failed to keep pace with Widener. The Bulldogs scored only 13 kills compared to Widener’s 33. On top of that, Brooklyn allowed 10 aces, while only scoring one of their own. Freshman Libero Dion Csikortos led the game in digs with nine.
Brooklyn’s third and final contest of the week on Feb. 2 featured “The Battle for Brooklyn” against St. Joseph’s University. The Bulldogs and the Bears battled for borough supremacy, with Brooklyn prevailing after a three-set sweep. St. Joseph’s gave the Bulldogs a challenge in the first two sets, but still came up short (25-18, 25-21). Brooklyn closed out the victory with a convincing 25-14 score in what proved to be the final set. All facets of the game were firing for the Bulldogs, as they crushed the Bears in every category. Brooklyn capitalized on their touches, scoring 29 kills off 28 assists. Sophomore Shung Huei Zhu led the game with 22 assists, 16 more than the closest player.
After settling the score this week, Brooklyn sits with an even 3-3 record. Their next chance to claim a winning record is on Feb. 7 against the Pratt Institute.