Tartans Head into Total Performance Invitational Strong

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University men's swimming and diving team is off to a great start for the 2014-2015 season. The team is currently 6-0 in dual meets this year and head into the Kenyon College Total Performance Invitational with a College Swimming Coaches Association of America ranking of 11.

The men have had a lot of outstanding performances in the pool so far this year as sophomore Sivan Mehta (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale) and sophomore Brian Walsh (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) have each won six races spanning multiple events. Mehta has a team top-time of 51.22 in the 100-yard butterfly, an event he's won twice, and recorded a lifetime best of 21.64 in the 50-yard freestyle while winning the event in the second meet of the season. Mehta also has the team's top time in the 100-yard backstroke, 52.93, as he's collected two wins in the event to date. Walsh has won races in the distance freestyles and both butterfly events and leads the team in the 200-yard freestyle (1:43.48), 500-yard freestyle (4:44.46) and the 200-yard butterfly (1:54.45).

A few other impressive performances have come from sophomore Brian Jay (Wayne, Pa./Conestoga), junior Matthew Nielsen (Ashburn, Va./Briar Woods) and freshman Kevin Steinhouse (St. Louis, Mo./John Burroughs School). Jay has either finished first or second in each of his individual swims this season, as he's first on the team in the 50-yard freestyle (21.61) and second on the team in both breaststroke events with times of 59.13 and 2:12.57. He is also on both the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:26.81) and 200-yard medley relay (1:34.39) teams which hold the season-best times, anchoring the medley relay with a 21.20 split.

Nielsen swam the best 400-yard IM of the season when he won the event in 4:09.25 against Washington and Lee University and the University of Rochester. He also holds the team's top time in the 200-yard IM (1:57.59) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:11.17), an event he's won twice. Steinhouse has made an impact on the 200-yard freestyle relay as he anchors the event with a season-best 21.0 split. He has also swam the 50-yard freestyle to a personal best time of 21.82 and is second on the team in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 48.16.

The Tartans are looking forward to the challenge the Total Performance Invitational provides as they'll swim against top Division I and III opponents.